After Bad Rock, Authors JPsmiles and Lia
by Liauno
Summary: BA's joked threat turns into reality and brings unexpected trouble for the Team and one member in particular.
1. Chapter 1

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 1

"Ah…c'mon, B.A., it worked…didn't it?" Face smiled sitting across from the larger man. "Murdock's blood might even…ah…add a little color to your life."

"I don't need no color…got enough already." B.A. began to twist off his large thumb ring so he could make a better fist. "Plus I owe you one…then we be even." He pulled back his arm and glared at Face menacingly.

Face flinched and leaned back into his seat trying to brace himself for the four-ring knuckle sandwich headed his way. But instead to his great surprise…and immense relief…a huge grin broke out on B.A.'s face and he shook his head signaling that he was only messing with the younger man.

Without warning, the van jolted forward into motion and B.A. was pressed back into his seat, his still raised fist locked into position as his arm was stopped in its backward movement as his elbow connected with the back of his seat. Face was propelled into BA and instinctively turned his head to the side and reached out to brace himself. However, before he could find something to hold onto BA's fist connected full force with Face's temple. B.A. yelped at the pain in his injured thigh from the sudden movement and from Face's weight that was thrown onto him. He pushed Face back towards his seat and his head snapped back only to be stopped by the headrest. Instinctively, he brought his hand up to his head as he watched the stars dance in front of his eyes.

The sound of sirens filled the air and grew increasingly louder. Hannibal grabbed a shotgun, leaned out the front driver window, and began to shoot at the tires of the military police vehicles. "Grab a gun, Face, and help me out," Hannibal shouted.

But Face couldn't hear anything above the ringing in his ears. He removed the hand from the side of his head and brought it in front of his eyes. He saw red…literally. The four rings on BA's hand had left deep gashes along his temple and under his hair.

"Face, move it, I can't drive and shoot at the same time. What the hell's taking you so long?"

Face heard something in a distance but couldn't make out words. His vision was beginning to blur and all he could see was the blood on his hand. BA had his eyes screwed tight against the pain and was oblivious to the accident that had occurred. Amy had been thrown out of her seat as the van jolted forward and opted to stay put in the back of the van and on the floor for as long as the shooting was going on.

"Face, damn it, you want us to get caught? Move it, I'm running out of ammo." Hannibal was trying hard to drive and shoot at a time and was extremely pissed by now.

Murdock had jumped into Amy's car at the sound of sirens and had taken off in the other direction. Since the van turned around to get away from the approaching cars he was some distance ahead of it. He was wondering why only Hannibal fired out of the van and saw that the MP's were gaining. Two cars were side by side directly behind the van, ready to overtake and box it in. Murdock spun Amy's car around and fired at the tires of the cars. To his relief the two cars crashed into each other and blocked the path of the others for long enough to allow him and the van to get away. The van was now following closely behind Amy's car to block the MP's view of the number plates and keep Amy out of trouble.

Hannibal too saw red, but not literally. "Lieutenant, what the hell is wrong with you? I gave you a direct order. You didn't only endanger our freedom but Amy's as well. You better have one heck of an explanation. I don't need any liabilities on the team."

As Face stayed silent he went on, "Amy, as soon as we get to the next highway I want you to get into your car and get a safe distance away from us for as long as the MP's are on our tail."

Murdock took the next exit and the van followed. A few minutes later they pulled into the near empty parking lot of a motel and parked off to the side where they couldn't be seen from the road. Hannibal hopped out of the front seat, still seething, and opened the back door of the van. "Get going, kid," he ordered; cigar dangling out of the side of his mouth.

Amy heard the tone of his voice and knew better than to disagree with the colonel at that moment.

Murdock who had walked over to join them tossed her the keys and with a wink said, "have a safe trip, Chiquita."

Amy smiled at the pilot and half jogged over to her small vehicle.

"What happened, colonel?" Murdock asked cautiously.

"I don't know." He tossed the cigar onto the pavement and ground it with his foot. "But I'm about to find out."

Inside the van, B.A. had been able to bring the pain down enough to open his eyes, but he was still breathing hard. He saw Face sitting across from him, blood covering the side of his face. "You…okay…Faceman?" he gasped out.

Face heard the sergeant's words as if through a tunnel. "Yeah," he muttered. But his head felt heavy and his neck ached; he wasn't sure it could support the weight much longer. "You?"

B.A. didn't have a chance to answer before the side door slid open and a scowling Hannibal demanded, "you better start explain…" The words trailed off as he took stock of the sight before him. "Get the med kit, Murdock."

"On it," the pilot replied.

"You okay, B.A.?" Hannibal asked starting with the less injured looking of the two, but he kept his eyes trained on Face.

"Yeah, man. I'm fine." While his leg throbbed, there was no sign that his stitches ripped and the pain was lessening by the minute.

"Face?"

"S…sorry...Han…bal."

Hannibal didn't like the slurring of Face's voice or that he wasn't moving at all. And then there was the blood seeping from his head. "Don't move, kid. Let me check you over first." If Face did have a head injury, they had to stabilize him first. Murdock returned with the kit and handed it to Hannibal. "Captain, help B.A. out of the van so I can tend to Face."

"C'mon, big guy." Murdock frowned as B.A. allowed his assistance without so much as a growl or a dirty look. He was too focused on Face's well being to even care.

Hannibal took B.A.'s spot and began rummaging through the first aid supplies. "What happened, B.A.?"

"When the MPs showed up and you took off real fast, Face flew right into my fist. I think I pushed him back, but I don't remember much else." He looked down at the ground. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

"S'okay," Face moaned. "Accident."

Hannibal leaned forward and placed his hand gently on Face's thigh. "I'm going to check you over now. I'll try to be gentle, but you need to stay real still until we know what we're dealing with."

It was Face's left side that was bleeding so Hannibal stayed outside the van to access the cuts. Judging by what was on his clothes Face had lost a good amount of blood but the bleeding had slowed and could wait until he was checked over completely.

Hannibal took the seat that was previously occupied by BA. Face was gazing into the back of the van. "Face, look at me. Fix your eyes on mine."

Face tried to do as he was told but had problems focusing. He saw Hannibal's blurry face in front of him and rather guessed at where the eyes were. He just couldn't fix his eyes on one spot, they kept wandering away and he was blinking repeatedly.

Hannibal was getting more concerned by the minute. While Face seemed to hear what was being said he obviously had problems acting on it and he had yet to move.

"BA, has he moved since the incident?"

"I can't tell; I just opened my eyes a minute before you opened the door. He sure didn't move then."

"Face, can you move your arms for me?"

'Arms, wait a minute, arms, oh yeah that, I have a pair of them, somewhere, oh here. Move, okay, move I can do.'

Face sat there without movement or any sign of understanding what he was supposed to do until he slowly raised his arms. It was a response, but a very late one. At least he was moving.

"Good. What about your legs?" The same procedure repeated itself. Face was very slow to react but finally moved. Hannibal noticed with concern that he was staring straight ahead and held his neck and head stiff.

"Good, now can you move your head from side to side real slow for me?"

'Head, I would rather not.'

This time there was no response at all. "Face?"

'Oh sorry, forgot to speak.' He was feeling oddly detached from what was happening around him. "Head…hurts."

"I know it hurts, kid…but can you move it?"

"No…gonna fall…off."

"It won't fall off your neck. Come on I just need you to move it a little bit to see if everything is working. I'll leave you alone after that, promise."

After processing the information Face made a tiny movement but immediately grimaced in pain and stopped.

Hannibal patted his patient on the knee and left the van to discuss with BA and Murdock.

"He has four quite deep gashes on the left side of his head, almost completely covered by hair. They need to be cleaned and stitched. He's concussed and it looks like a case of whiplash to me, though I'm not an expert. What I'm most concerned about is his slow responses and the increasing slur in his voice."

BA looked down at his hand and saw the blood on his rings. There was no doubt as to what had caused the gashes. "What do we do now man?"

"We can't risk going to a hospital with Lynch that close and we can't also go back to Bad Rock while the military is crawling around there. He needs rest for the concussion and we need to clean and stitch up the cuts. Seeing that we are at a motel and I really don't want to move him any more we should get a room and lay low."

"Aren't we too close to Bad Rock still?"

"We don't have much choice Murdock, not until we know exactly what injury he has. He moved his head so I hope nothing is broken but it was just a tiny movement and caused immense pain. I can't be sure until we got him x-rayed and that will take a few days. If possible I want to stall until the military has left the area. Besides I hope that Lynch thinks that I would flee the area and not look for us too close to Bad Rock. At least he is responsive, even if the speed is not really impressive, but he seems to know the here and now. With the way his speech is slurring more and more that may change. Murdock, let's go get a room."

The pair left BA in charge of gently pressing some gauze to Face's head and walked away from the van to the corner of the motel. Murdock was to book the room since the picture of the other three would probably appear on TV and local newspapers soon, and Hannibal wanted to watch, just in case.

"Uhm…Colonel? How exactly do you plan to stitch up those gashes covered by hair?"

"Brought your shaving kit when you came to Bad Rock, Captain?"

Murdock just groaned. They would never hear the end of this.


	2. Chapter 2

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 2

But by the time they managed to get Face into the room, he was in no condition to complain. It had been a slow process as Hannibal still wanted to make sure that Face kept his head completely still. They moved as a single unit; Hannibal and Murdock on either side holding him up under the armpits and B.A. limping behind with his hands supporting the sides of Face's head as a brace would.

They lowered him carefully onto a bed and Hannibal began dishing out the orders. "B.A., take a seat and get some weight off of that leg. Murdock, I'm going to need some clean towels and your razor." He looked at Face…no comment was made and that worried him. Face's eyes were open, but his pupil's were dilated and he had started to shake slightly. 'The blood loss,' he thought.

"How're you doing, kid?" Hannibal asked gently.

It took a few moments, but finally Face answered softly, "I'm…'kay."

Hannibal breathed a sigh of relief; at least Face was responding. "I'm going to clean and stitch some of these cuts. I'm real sorry, kid, but I don't have anything to numb the pain."

"S'alright," he mumbled. Face doubted it could be any worse than the intense headache that was building. He was wrong.

Once they shaved a small patch of Face's hair, Murdock poured some antiseptic onto a towel and handed it to Hannibal.

"Hold his head still, Murdock." Once the pilot's hands were in place, Hannibal began to clean the wounds.

Face gasped as the burning sensation, but at least it was over relatively quickly. But as Hannibal began to stitch it took all that he had not to break down into tears. Every pass of the needle through his skin felt like a dagger through his skull. Face gritted his teeth and dug his fingers into the mattress beneath him. As Hannibal hit an especially sensitive spot Face let out a grunt followed by a series of low moans.

"You're doing real good, muchacho," Murdock encouraged. "Doc Smith here is almost done. Just hang tough."

B.A. sat in a chair across the room with his bad leg propped up. Hearing Face in pain was tearing him up…especially since the cause of it was his own fist. It had been an accident; he hadn't purposely tried to hurt Face. 'If I didn't have my fist in the air tryin' to scare Faceman, ain't none of this would have happened,' he thought.

B.A. felt ashamed at his behavior; Face was so quick to forgive him when just a couple of days prior B.A. had made his life hell by blaming him for his gunshot wound when he really knew that it wasn't anybody's fault. But B.A. was hurting and he needed to lash out at somebody…that somebody was Face. He was pulled out of his thoughts as another grunt, this one louder, filled the air.

By the time Hannibal was done Face was panting and he was trembling from head to toe. Murdock pulled a blanket up to his shoulders while Hannibal taped some bandages into place.

Face couldn't get his breathing to slow down as the pressure continued to build in his head. The room began to swirl around him and his stomach began to do flip-flops. Voices were calling his name, but they were growing more and more distant. The last thing he saw was blackness creeping into his vision and growing larger and larger.

"He's out of it for now. I really don't like the way he slurs. We'll let him rest for about 15 minutes and then wake him again."

"Colonel? Don't you think we should keep him conscious until we are sure about his injuries?"

"We have to take the risk Murdock. My guess is that the MP's will stop crawling around Bad Rock in two or three days and then we can get Dr. Sullivan here. She's our safest bet right now but we can't keep Face awake for three days, he needs rest too. I plan to not let him sleep for long at a go. He knew us and he knew what happened, we'll just watch him closely. With any luck we may not need the doc at all." Mentally he added, 'which I highly doubt. I just hope you don't get worse, kid. I would really want to avoid the risk of taking you to a hospital.'

BA's stomach rumbled loudly and brought Hannibal's focus back. "How are you holding up Sergeant?"

"Could do with some pain killers…and food."

"Yeah, I doubt walking around as a human head brace was part of your therapy." Hannibal fumbled in his pocket and brought out a bottle of pills. He handed one to BA and went in search of some water.

"You have more or just that one bottle?"

"What? It's a full bottle and if they are gone and you still need some pain relief Tylenol should do."

"I'm not talkin' for myself, man. The Faceman may need them more than me."

"No BA, they are prescription meds for you. What's good for you may make matters worse for Face. Anyway, I don't want to give him anything for now. If he stays as lucid as he was he can take some Tylenol later."

"I feel lousy."

"It's not your fault, BA. Even Face told you so."

"I know. It was an accident, but if I hadn't been blaming Face all the time this wouldn't have happened."

Hannibal put a hand on BA's shoulder. "Just relax Sergeant, he'll be fine in no time and you'll be back to threatening all of us."

Hannibal took stock of his men and started planning. "We need supplies, last thing we ate was in the prison cell and I don't even know about the two of you. I want us to keep our heads low. Murdock, that means you are going to get the supplies we need, but don't use the van, people could recognize it. I'll make you a list with groceries and first aid things. I would really like to have a neck brace for Face but that can't be bought easily and without raising questions. Best thing would be one like they use for emergencies that immobilizes his head completely. BA, do you think you can construct something?"

"Hmm, if I get the materials, I think I can do something."

"Just add them to the list I'll get them big guy."

With Murdock on the way Hannibal decided it was time to wake Face. "BA, move to the chair I've put at the head of Face's bed. I want you to immobilize his head when I wake him. He may start thrashing if he feels disoriented or under attack."

BA did as was told and signaled that he was ready. Hannibal gently started to stroke Face's hair and then rubbed his arms while talking to him. "Wake up, Face…come on, open your eyes."

There was no reaction from Face. BA leaned in and brought his head forward so that he could see Face's face. "Come on, Faceman, time to wake up."

Together they continued to coax him out of his sleep.

Face felt hands on his body and he felt an immense pain in his head along with a rolling stomach. He momentarily panicked before he recognized the voices speaking to him, his team. He opened his eyes but his vision was blurred, all he could make out was two shapes looming over him. In a flash he remembered BA's raised fist and Hannibal saying something about liability. 'Oh no, I did something, they are pissed, they're hurting me. Stop, please stop. I was supposed to do something, I can't remember what.' The panic was back and he was trying hard to concentrate on what it was he was supposed to do; so hard that he never heard the encouraging words being spoken to him.

"He ain't respondin', colonel," B.A. said, his voice tinged with anxiety.

"Can you hear me, kid?" Hannibal continued. Still nothing.

"What we gonna do, man? I may have busted somethin' bad inside his head."

Hannibal was afraid B.A. was right, but he didn't want to worry the man, so he smiled reassuringly and said, "Even you aren't that strong...let's just give him some time."

And time is what it took. Hannibal had B.A. continue to hold his head while he went to get some cool cloths. B.A. kept up a gentle patter of words, but there was no reply, just a delirious looking Face.

Hannibal placed a towel onto Face's forehead being careful of the injured area. Face began to moan softly; his body tensed and he shut his eyes tightly.

"C'mon, kid...open those eyes back up for me." Hannibal was getting scared; if Face didn't say something soon he was going to have to risk a hospital. He did the only other thing he could think of, he ordered Face to answer him. "Lieutenant Peck," he said firmly. "Open up your eyes." It took a few seconds, but Face's eyes fluttered back open. "Now, tell me your full name."

"Tem...Tem...ple...ton. Peck," he stuttered, but his eyelids began to drop.

"Keep your eyes open...that's an order." Hannibal felt bad treating Face so roughly when he was obviously suffering, but he needed to know just how bad things were.

"Hurts...light...hurts." Face could feel the nausea building and his head felt like it was going to explode. Hannibal was in colonel mode, which meant he must have screwed up. And having B.A.'s hands pressing into his skull wasn't helping matters any. "B.A...hands...hurt."

"I'm sorry, Faceman. I hurt you enough already...don't wanna hurt you no more."

"Told...you...not...fault." Face was relieved that at least B.A. didn't seem angry. But there was still something he couldn't remember...something he was supposed to do. The last thing he remembered was B.A.'s fist coming at him, or rather flying into the bejeweled fist. After that it was all a blank. The more he thought, the more it hurt...and the more it hurt, the sicker he felt.

Hannibal was relieved that Face was showing signs of awareness. He was about to ask him a few more questions, but never got the chance. Face suddenly paled and gasped out, "gonna...be...sick."

"Roll him...watch his head," Hannibal said, reaching for the garbage can. They positioned him onto his side and he began to vomit repeatedly. Each heave sent waves of agony through his head and neck. Once the bout subsided, they rolled him back and noticed the tears rolling down his cheeks. The pain was too much and he drifted off again into unconsciousness.

"B.A., you can let go of his head now...he's out."

"He real bad, man."

Hannibal nodded. "Let's let him sleep a bit longer this time. I'll monitor his vitals and we'll see how he is next time we wake him."

"I ain't never seen him lookin' that way," B.A. mused, the guilt still gnawing away at him.

"At least he knew who we were and seemed to have some idea of what happened in the van," Hannibal encouraged. "It's going to be alright, B.A. Now, I want you to go lay down and get some rest."

B.A. did as was told, but he knew he wouldn't really be able to relax until he knew Face was okay. Experience and intuition told him that it was going to get a whole lot worse before it got better.

Hannibal decided to let Face sleep for 45 minutes this time. He positioned himself behind Face's head where BA had sat before to be ready in case of a nightmare or anything similar. Despite his concern for Face BA was exhausted and the pain killer made him sleepy too. He soon dozed off and Hannibal was left to watch over his two injured men.

Face's stomach decided that 45 minutes were too long and gave out after 40 minutes. He gasped awake as the bile was rising into his mouth and his stomach cramped up painfully. Face tried to roll to his side but was stopped by a stabbing pain in the neck. Hannibal had noticed him come around and held his head steady, he hadn't planned on the rest of Face's body to move to the side. There was no way to keep his head and body in position for as long as he was alone.

"BA…BA wake up…I need you here."

It took BA a while to get up and limp over but Face had forgotten about any plans to move. Between his head, neck and the stomach cramps he was in way too much pain to even consider any instinctive moves. His body was wracked by the cramps and the heaves and the bile was just seeping out of his mouth and onto his shirt and the bed. The whole episode didn't take longer than a few minutes but seemed like an eternity for all involved. BA had taken over holding Face's head and Hannibal was trying to remove the bile from Face's mouth before it could enter his airway and cause more trouble. When the spell was over Face was too exhausted to answer any of Hannibal's questions with more than a moan. Hannibal too was busy cleaning out Face's mouth, who drifted off to unconsciousness once more.

Hannibal gently cleaned Face, removed the shirt and changed the sheets without so much as a moan from his patient, he didn't stir at all.

Thirty minutes later Hannibal tried to wake him again. This time he couldn't get more than his name out of him before he was out again.

By the time Murdock returned Hannibal was at a loss. He didn't want to risk getting captured but also didn't want to risk Face's wellbeing. He already felt bad for keeping him away from obviously needed medical attention for that long.

"Murdock, how far is the next hospital?"

"With the van we can be there in ten, not far really."

"Okay, then we risk keeping him here longer. If he shows signs of getting worse we rush him in."

"Hannibal, he's out, barely responding, vomiting repeatedly …he's the textbook case for a concussion that needs to be rushed to the hospital, how much worse do you want him to get? He needs medical attention."

"I know Murdock but he wouldn't like to get it from a military prison infirmary. He's still showing signs of awareness in between. Let's eat something."

BA dropped his work on the neck brace he had started to assemble as soon as Murdock had returned with the materials and they shared a quiet meal. When they finished Hannibal took a close look at is men and stood up.

"Okay men, here's the plan. We keep watching him over night; it's now too late to go out without raising suspicions. If he's not better by morning Murdock will go to town and rent a car. You'll get to the highway and drive east for about three hours. Then you look for the nearest bigger town and get to a pay phone. Call Dr. Sullivan and see if she can get us a distance diagnosis and maybe some prescription meds. At the very least we need IV bags to keep him hydrated for as long as he's not up to eating and keeping things inside. I don't want to draw the military to us in case her phone is tapped. Try to get her to understand who you are without mentioning our names; she's a sharp woman and will get it and I don't want to get her into trouble. For tonight we take turns sitting at Face's head and wake him every hour." Hannibal looked at his watch. "Since I'm already here, I'll take the first shift. Murdock, I'll come get you in three hours."

"I can take the big guy's watch too," Murdock offered.

"What you talkin' about, fool. I don't need nobody to do my job."

"With your leg…I just thought…"

"Well, you thought wrong, sucker!"

Murdock dropped it and Hannibal smiled thankfully at him. It was obvious that B.A. blamed himself for what happened to Face and needed to do something to help make it better.

"Okay…I'll call if I need either of you. Now get some rest…we have a long night ahead of us."

Murdock and B.A. retreated from the bedroom and into the living room area. B.A. stretched out on the couch and Murdock immediately brought over a pillow to prop his leg up on.

"B.A., I didn't mean to upset you before."

"Nah…I overreacted. It's just…um…I…um"

It wasn't like B.A. to have trouble speaking his mind, and Murdock was intrigued. "It's what? C'mon…you can tell your old pal Murdy anything."

"I just can't stop thinkin' of how I treated the Faceman in Bad Rock."

"You were shot, B.A. I'm sure you weren't exactly thinking clearly."

"Nah…I knew what I was sayin'…and it was wrong. And, now when I hurt Face, he don't so much as say one bad word to me."

"Well, Face isn't exactly saying much of anything right now. Give him time…maybe when his head clears up he'll treat you like dirt too." Murdock bit at his lip and hung his head.

"I…um…didn't mean it to come out that way."

"I know what you sayin', fool."

"It's going to be okay, big guy. Now why don't we get some shut-eye?"

B.A. tried to sleep, but it just wouldn't come. He kept replaying the drive into Bad Rock over and over in his mind. Face was driving while Hannibal was in the back monitoring his vitals.

"We're gonna need Faceman to change his name. Yeah…to broken Face."

"Ah, c'mon, B.A. it wasn't my fault."

"You was supposed to be the rear guard…you messed up bad. Now I'm a hafta mess you up. It's the law."

"Oh brother."

And after that he kept saying over and over that "Face is gonna pay." Pay for what? For something that could have happened to any of them. Face wasn't slacking off…his gun jammed…it was pure bad luck.

B.A. eventually managed to drift off and was later woken by Hannibal. "B.A., do you want to go sit with Face for a while? I was going to let you sleep, but I was afraid you might pound me if I didn't get you up."

"Yeah, man. How he doin'?"

Hannibal sighed. "I think he's a bit better. We've been able to rouse him enough to tell us the year or who he is, but then he goes right out again. But at least he hasn't gotten sick and seems to be resting comfortably." Hannibal helped B.A. stand and once he was steady let go.

B.A. began to limp toward the bedroom, where he switched places with Murdock. The pilot stopped on his way out the door. "You do know that this isn't your fault, don't you?"

B.A. shrugged. "My fist hit his face…that's all I need to know." Murdock was at a loss for what to say, so he just nodded understandingly. "Go on…we'll be fine." B.A. hoped that was the truth.

As B.A. lay in bed watching Face he thought back to something else Face had said in Bad Rock. It was on the way into Maggie's house, and he was being carried by Hannibal and Face.

"These things happen, man. Remember that time in Nam when you were supposed to be watching the back door of that Chinese dance hall, hmm? And I slipped and cut myself on that Coke bottle that you dropped. Did I get mad? No. These things happen."

B.A.'s mind travelled back in time and remembered the incident well. His mind was still stuck there hours later when Hannibal and Murdock returned. It was morning and the sun had just begun to rise. They brought breakfast with them and settled down to discuss their game plan.

"Any change?" Hannibal asked.

"Nah…same as before. But I don't think he any worse."

Hannibal sighed. "I was really hoping he would be more lucid by now. After breakfast I think we should follow the plan I mentioned last night and try and get Maggie's help."

Murdock took a swig of orange juice before saying, "Billy and I will take care of it, won't we boy?" He proceeded to pet the air.

Hannibal grinned in B.A.'s direction, fully expecting a snarl or a growl at Murdock's antics. But B.A. seemed lost in thought. "What's up, B.A.? Something on your mind?"

B.A. cleared his throat before beginning. "Do you guys remember that time in Nam when Face got cut real bad?"

Of course they remembered…it was something they would never forget.


	3. Chapter 3

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 3

The mission was to capture a certain Vietcong general. The team had gone deep into Northern territory where Intel said they would find the man. They had followed his moves for days and found he was always heavily guarded. The only weak spot they found was a small Chinese dance hall that he frequented rather often. When in there he took only two of his guards along. One was waiting outside and one followed him inside. As it turned out the women in there did not only offer dancing as services and he probably didn't want his guards to know what was going on.

The plan was simple. After they knew the pattern they prepared for the general's arrival. The place had a front and a back exit and was the last house of a rather small village, close to the jungle. The back exit had four steps and a little wall instead of a hand bar. BA was to hide in the corner of that wall with a big log. The remaining three team members would wait in the jungle and allow the general and his guard to go inside. Then they would wait for a good opportunity to take out the outside guard. After that Face would go inside, throw a smoke grenade and run out the back door that BA was guarding for him. They would block the back exit with the log so that everybody had to run out of the front door where they would grab the general, take out the guard and run.

BA got into position but was soon bored from the long wait. He had been radioed that the general had arrived but that the outside guard stayed in the car. They had to wait.

The north was not as developed as the south and the cars that were used in the villages were mainly old. Close to BA's position a beauty of an old lorry, a so called bone shaker, was parked. It had attracted BA's attention immediately and the longer he had to wait the more grew his desire to take a close look at it. It wasn't as if he was leaving his position, he was still out back and the truck was just three steps away. There wasn't a single soul around so there wasn't really a risk involved. BA snuck over to the truck and admired the techniques.

The perfect opportunity to take out the guard presented itself when he wandered over to the jungle to take a leak. He never knew what hit him.

The rest happened very fast before someone noticed the unusual empty car. Face sprinted over the street and into the dance hall throwing the grenade while Hannibal picked up his radio to warn BA.

BA heard a 'Now' from his radio and jumped, he had been more distracted than he thought. He hastily got back to his position and knocked over a half empty coke bottle someone had left on the wall. It fell on the stairs and shuttered to pieces just as the door opened and Face came running through it. He slipped on the coke and in an attempt to break his fall cut his left hand and wrist on the shattered glass. The adrenalin coursing through his veins didn't let him notice the cuts. BA blocked the door with the log and together they ran to the front of the house to help Hannibal and Murdock. It wasn't until they had captured the general and thrown him into the back of his own Jeep to make a fast exit that Murdock noticed the blood seeping from Face's hand. Face himself was now also beginning to feel the pain and was suddenly feeling dizzy. Had it not been for Murdock who was in the back of the Jeep with him tying up the unconscious general, Face would have fallen out of the vehicle. Hannibal instructed BA to drive off into the Jungle and jumped out of the car. The cuts were deep and had hit the vein in the wrist. Face had lost a lot of blood and it was still seeping out of him. They had to stop the blood flow and fast but their supplies were limited. Face had to get medical help but the chopper they had come with was stashed deep in the jungle to not draw the attention of the VC. They bandaged Face up as well as they could and then BA drove the Jeep until it got stuck in the dense jungle. BA picked up Face and continued on foot with Murdock taking point and Hannibal unceremoniously hauling the now conscious general along.

By the time they reached the bird several hours later Face was in bad shape. He had lost more blood and infection had set in too. They were not too sure he would make it through the ride. BA, who would normally hold onto something with both hands, forgot all his fear for flying and held Face close to him the entire time. Face was out of it for three days in the hospital and when he woke up he looked up at his three team mates, got his bearings, attempted a smile and croaked out 'This has sparked my appetite. Can someone get me a coke?'

The three remembered in silence until a low moan from Face brought them back to present.

"Murdock, get going."

It was a few minutes after Murdock exited the motel room that Face's eyes finally opened. He went to sit up but was stopped by a sharp pain in his neck before he even got started. He stiffened immediately and gritted his teeth.

"Hey, kid. Just stay still. B.A., how's that brace coming along?"

"It's just about done...I just need to fit it to his neck."

"I'll get it...stay with Face."

Once alone again, B.A. asked, "How you feelin', Faceman?"

"Who...who...are you?" he asked.

Hannibal returned with the brace and saw a very wide eyed B.A. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Hannibal, we got a problem..."

"Who...who...are you?" Face stuttered.

Hannibal dropped the brace to the floor, the size of his eyes rivaling those of B.A.'s.

Face broke out into a wide grin and said weakly, "Gotcha...I had you going, didn't I?"

"Why you little..." Hannibal started.

"That ain't funny, man!" B.A. grumbled.

"Aw, c'mon. Just wanted to lighten the mood."

"Still ain't funny," B.A. muttered under his breath.

"But seriously, How're you feeling, Face?"

"Who's Face?" the bedridden man quipped.

"Lieutenant!" Hannibal scolded, trying to suppress a smile. Face joking around was a step in the right direction.

"Sorry...couldn't resist. Have a humdinger of a headache...neck hurts too."

Hannibal squeezed his leg paternally. "We've been real worried about you, kid. Let's see if we can get that neck of yours supported properly."

It took some maneuvering to get the device into position and for B.A. to make the necessary adjustments. But once it was in place, the pain seemed to lessen...though not by much.

"Where's Murdock?" Face asked noticing for the first time that his friend was missing.

"It sure took you long enough to ask," Hannibal joked. "I sent him into town to rent a car and get some distance between him and us before contacting Maggie."

Face raised his eyebrows. "Was that really necessary? I've had a concussion before...I'm feeling better already." No sooner had the words left his lips before he turned white and began to shake uncontrollably.

"What...what is it, man?" B.A. asked.

Hannibal was at Face's side immediately. "What's going on, kid? Talk to me?"

"My...my...head. Help...help me," he pleaded, grasping onto Hannibal's hand.

"Just breathe through it...you're going to be okay."

It took a few minutes before the intensity of the pain lessened, leaving Face feeling lightheaded and weak. "I...um...I don't feel so...good anymore."

"That's why we sent Murdock. We need to get some fluids into you and some medication for the pain," Hannibal soothed, reaching for a towel. He dipped into a basin of cold water and placed it across Face's forehead. "Why don't you shut your eyes again and try to get some more rest."

"Okay," Face agreed. But he remained semi-conscious, the pounding in his skull had built up again and wasn't allowing him to fall into a deep sleep.

Hannibal and B.A. sat virtually unmoving for the next 30 minutes. It was clear that Face was suffering by looking at his facial expressions and they felt completely helpless. They took turns holding Face's hand or placing cool cloths on his forehead...they needed to feel as if they were doing something.

B.A.'s thoughts went back again to Nam and inside the jeep when Murdock first saw that Face was hurt. B.A. heard it all as he drove the getaway car.

'Face...you're bleeding!"

'Huh,' Face mumbled, swaying dangerously to the side.

Murdock grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him back. 'Let me see, Face.'

Face tried to pull his arm away as the pain from the deep laceration was growing. 'Hurts.'

'Hannibal,' Murdock said loudly over the roaring sounds of the engine. "Faceman's hurt...he's been cut badly.'

Hannibal turned back and saw the blood dripping down Face's hand. "B.A., get us into the jungle...fast!"

'You got it, man."

Face was carried from the jeep and laid onto the ground. Hannibal reached into his pack and pulled out some bandages.

'We need to put pressure on the wound,' he said out loud though he was the one administering the care. "How're you doing, kid?"

"Okay...little dizzy."

"How'd this happen, Facey?" Murdock asked trying to keep his young friend conscious.

Face winced as Hannibal pulled tightly on the bandage. "Slipped on stairs...were wet...sorry...such a klutz."

B.A. felt his stomach drop. "Not yo' fault, Faceman. Was a bottle of Coke that I broke and you cut yourself up on."

Face was turning pale from the blood loss. "S'okay...accident."

And those were the same words Face had said to him the day prior when once again he was responsible for injuring the man.

B.A. didn't have time to wallow in his guilt, however, as the door flew open and an exasperated Murdock burst in. "We've got trouble."

"What is it, captain?"

"Lynch's on the way. We gotta move and fast."

"You saw him?"

"No, but someone saw us. When I walked into town and passed the market square I saw a local newspaper with the headline 'A-Team In Town.' Someone recognized the van when we drove into town. Though the person could not tell where we went or if we just passed they are apparently so short of news around here that we made front page. I turned and hurried back to tell you. When I passed the sheriff's office the window was open and I overheard him talking on the phone 'Yes sir, Colonel Lynch sir, I'll look out for them until you arrive sir.' And now let's move it."

"Shit, that's about the last thing we need now. They'll be checking this whole town methodically. Murdock, go get the van and check out. I'll pack our things and try to wipe the place of our prints as good as possible. What kind of newspaper was it?"

"Local one for the area."

"Call Amy from the van and let her find out where it's distributed. We have to leave the area as people will be looking for our van now."

Murdock returned with the van a few minutes later and it was quickly loaded.

"Face we need to move you. Murdock, get the foldable stretcher from the van and put some blankets in the back."

Face moaned as he was moved but stayed semi conscious. He was made as comfortable as possible in the back of the van but the ride would still be hell on him. Just as Murdock was helping BA into the van the phone rang and Amy gave them the distribution area of the paper.

"Fastest way to get out of it is south but that means we get further away from Bad Rock and Dr. Sullivan. No chance though. As it is we still need about two hours to get to relatively safe territory if we don't want Face to be rocked too much back there."

A short while into their drive Face was moaning more and more, the discomfort from the slight bumps clearly visible. Hannibal tried to drive as careful as possible without raising suspicions. As they passed another small town another vehicle came out of a side street and forced Hannibal to break hard. Murdock saw it and threw himself over Face but couldn't prevent his upper body from raising off the floor slightly and bumping back down. Both Face and BA yelped in pain at the sudden movement and Face's lights went out once again.

"Of all the stupid things. Murdock, did he hit his head again?"

"Bumped it slightly but I hope the blankets cushioned it. He's out again."

"We'll follow the earlier plan. I'll let you out at the next car rental and you head out to call Maggie. Seeing that we are still moving it's enough if you move north for about two hours. Call the van an hour later and I'll give you our new position." Much as he hated to split up his team with two men down he didn't want to lose more time.

Hannibal found a town that was slightly bigger and put on some disguise to get them a room in a motel without being recognized.

"Now we have a room but since you're in no position to help me get Face inside I'm at a loss here."

"I sure can help, you just wait. I been thinkin' all the time since you dropped the fool. Get to the back of the van…the tool box left to the weapons locker."

What BA referred to as a tool box was actually a whole compartment of the van.

"There's a board with wheels in there to go under the van if repairs are needed, get it then get me the duct tape and the metal saw, also in there."

Hannibal did as he was told but didn't really understand what BA was up to.

"Now back the van as close as possible to our motel door and open the back." BA dropped to the knee of his good leg and maneuvered himself to the back of the van. He grabbed the end of the stretcher where Face's feet were located, made a small cut in the metal frame, bent the handles upward and pushed the wheel board under it. Then he fixed it with the duct tape.

"Now stand there, I'll help you lift him out and then you can wheel him in."

"BA, you're hurt too."

"My leg's hurt, not my arms. I'm still stronger than all of you together."

It worked like a charm and soon Face was settled in the room. Hannibal left BA in charge and went to park the van in a park house some five minutes walking distance from the motel so that even if it was recognized, nobody would know where they were.

The next time Face woke up he looked up at BA's bejeweled self and stuttered, "Who….who are…you?"

"Nice try…you ain't gonna trick me twice with that one, Faceman."

"Who…who's Faceman?"

"Knock it off, man! I done told you before that it ain't funny."

Face wrapped his arms around his midsection in a protective fashion. "Just please…please don't hurt me."

B.A. narrowed his eyes and gave Face a hard look. "You ain't kiddin' are you? Damn."

"Please don't hurt me," Face repeated again.

"I'm not gonna hurt you…we friends, man." Face didn't look convinced. "If you don't think you the Faceman, than who are you?"

Face opened his mouth to respond, but he closed it a moment later.

"Aw, man…you don't remember nothin', do you?"

"No." Face's eyes were darting back and forth as if looking for a way to escape.

"Look, man. You was in an accident…hurt your head. You probably got some sort of temporary amnesia or somethin'." At least B.A. hoped it was temporary.

Face was beginning to shake; whether it was from fear or from pain, B.A. couldn't be sure. But it tugged as his heartstrings just the same. "I promise…we ain't gonna hurt ya," he said in the same gentle tone he would use on one of his kids at the center."

"We? Who's we?" Face questioned.

B.A. stood slowly favoring his bad leg and limped closer to the bed with an extra blanket. "You cold?" He was stalling trying to think of how to answer.

"Yeah…little bit," Face said. "Thanks." He figured if the muscular man wanted to hurt him he would have done so by now.

"I can't believe this is all my fault," B.A. muttered.

"What's your fault?" Face was so confused and he was starting to feel nauseous to boot.

"That you got hurt. You see…I hit you."

It was getting harder to breathe. "I thought…you said…you were…my friend."

"I am your friend...we been friends a long time. Me, I'm B.A. and the others, Hannibal and Murdock…we a team…have been since Vietnam."

"Vietnam?"

"Uh-huh. We was Special Forces together…we was the best."

Face had so many questions running through his head, but the room was tilting. He managed to pant out one more. "What…did…I do…to…make you…hit me?"

B.A. found the question odd. Why was Face assuming that he did something wrong? Face had a tendency of being hard on himself; maybe the trait was inherent and remained even if his memory didn't. "You didn't do anythin', man. I messed up…but I'm a gonna make it up to you."

Face gasped and put a hand to his head. A few seconds later his eyes rolled back and he was out.

When Hannibal returned, he found B.A. playing nervously with the gold around his neck.

"Hannibal, we got a problem."

"I really wish everybody would stop saying that to me," the colonel groaned.


	4. Chapter 4

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 4

"Faceman don't know who we are…or who he is…or nothin' at all."

"B.A….that isn't funny."

"Nah…it ain't funny. But this time it true."

"You sure he wasn't just ripping you again?"

"I'm sure, the ride must have been hard on him, especially the sudden stop."

"Hmm, Murdock said he bumped his head again. Can also be the dehydration that makes him delirious."

"He ain't delirious; he has no memory of nothing."

"Was his speech slurring more than before?"

"Nah man, he was slurring but not worse than before."

"I brought a package of straws, next time we rouse him we have to try to get him to drink something."

"Yeah and we have to reach the fool. He has to tell the doc what happened now."

"You're right BA, but how do we reach him? Let's see, I really didn't want to contact Amy in case she's being watched too but don't really see an alternative."

"What about that sheriff? He owes us."

"And nobody suspects him. BA, you're a genius. We should have thought about that earlier, would have saved Murdock the drive."

"Nah, man, woulda got us all in prison. If the fool wouldn't have gone to town he wouldn't have known Lynch was on the way."

Hannibal reached for the phone and called the sheriff's office. Just in case the MP's were still around he tried for a safe story. "Can I speak to the sheriff?"

"Speaking."

"Sheriff, I have relatives in your town and heard about a lot of military being there. Do I have to be concerned about their safety?"

"Don't worry, everything is quiet here, they've been gone for about three hours now."

"That's good to hear. So they found who they were looking for then?"

"No, they finally understood that they wuldn't find those people in our town. They just happened to pass through our place, same as all the other towns they pass through." He sounded tired of explaining that particular fact.

"That's even better to hear. This is Colonel Hannibal Smith…I need your help, sheriff."

"Colonel, why the story telling?"

"I just had to make sure you were alone and had successfully gotten rid of Lynch."

"He sure is one dumb person. Took him ages to understand that you people escaped from my prison during the attack of the rockers and that I almost captured you again as you were unsuccessfully trying to talk Dr. Sullivan into giving you all overdue vaccinations. And no, none of you three was hurt."

"That's a nice story. Talking of Dr. Sullivan, I didn't want to chance calling her from our phone in case she was bugged. I need her help for one of my men, can you get her to your office so I can talk to her?"

"Sure thing, though I don't think her phone is bugged. Well, if he didn't buy my stupid vaccination story he may have bugged it. I'll get her, call me back in 15 minutes."

"Thanks."

Hannibal hung up and proceeded to get a cup of water before going over to Face's bed.

"Okay kid, time to wake up. Face, wake up, c'mon."

"Hannibal, he doesn't know he's the Faceman."

"Maybe by now he does. Wake up, kid, open your eyes." He stroked Face's hair and arms and when that didn't have the desired effect he brought a cold washcloth to his face all the time talking to him.

It took a while but finally confused blue eyes blinked up at him.

"Tell me your name, kid."

"Holmes…Holmes Morrison. Who … are you, sir? Where …where am I?"

Hannibal knew Face had gone through several names as a child and this was one of them, so at least the memory was correct, even if it wasn't up to date.

"How old are you?"

"Nine years, sir. Owww." Face brought his hands up to reach for his head and was headed straight for the bandaged side so Hannibal grabbed his wrist before he could do some damage.

"No, no, let go off me. I told the truth, please don't hurt me, please."

"It's okay, kid, nobody's gonna hurt you. Just don't touch your head, you're injured. Do you remember me?"

"No. My head hurts."

Hannibal saw that Face would not be awake for long and reached for the water. "Here, drink this…I'll place the straw in your mouth, kid."

Face closed his lips and eyed Hannibal with suspicion. Hannibal decided to trick him.

"But earlier you told me you were thirsty and now I went to get you water and a straw and you made me walk around for nothing? That isn't good behavior at all."

As he had thought, playing with Face's guilt was working well, even for his kid self. He opened his mouth a little and managed a few sips. However, it took only moments for him to turn green and wretch the water up again. After that his eyes rolled back and he was out again.

"Ah man, what was that?"

"Holmes Morrison was one of the names Face used as a child, it's in his file. Some memory is back, he's only missing some 20 odd years now."

Face coughed up some of the water he had swallowed.

"Damn, I hope he won't get an infection in is airways in addition. It's not easy to get it all out of his mouth while he's not responding."

Together they waited another five minutes in silence before Hannibal called the sheriff again who quickly passed the phone to Maggie.

"John, Hank told me BA is worse. What happened?"

"Hi Maggie, it's not BA, it's Face."

"What? What happened?"

"It's a long story, but in a nutshell B.A.'s fist went into Face's temple full force."

"I knew B.A. was angry, but I never thought he would actually hit Face," Maggie said in shock.

"That's the long story part...it was an accident. But still Face has some deep cuts, and what I think is a bad concussion and whiplash."

"Did you treat the cuts?"

"Unfortunately, I had to practice my sewing on the kid. And we have his neck supported by a brace." Hannibal paused, the memory making his stomach turn. "But that's not the worst of it. At first he seemed to be oriented, though slow to respond. But, he woke up a little while ago with no memory. And most recently he thinks he is nine years old."

"Has he been complaining of a headache, nausea? Or had slurred speech or blurred vision?" Maggie asked.

"All of the above. He's vomited a few times too."

"John...he needs to be in a hospital," she scolded. "Head injuries are serious."

Hannibal knew she was going to say this, and he also knew that she was right. "I know Maggie, but it's too great a risk. We've been in the papers and..."

Maggie cut him off. "No need to explain...I understand...really I do."

"Do you have any advice?"

"Well, it's encouraging that while he has some memory loss it appears to be coming back. To be honest, even if he was in a hospital they would probably just prescribe bed rest, fluids and pain medication. It's an old wives' tale that you need to keep concussion victims awake all the time...let him sleep as much as possible. Is he able to drink...and keep it down?"

"No...he threw up the little water he took in."

"You're going to need to get him on an IV...darn, I wish I was there with you."

Hannibal thought of the brunette beauty and replied, "That makes two of us."

"If I tell you what you need, do you think you can get it?"

"Face is usually our supply man, but we'll make it happen. I sent Murdock to another town to call you...before we thought of getting the sheriff involved. You should hear from him soon. Can you tell him what we need and where he can find it?"

"But of course. Just a few things to keep in mind. With a concussion, especially one as serious as Face's, he may suffer effects anywhere from days to weeks...to even months."

Hannibal swallowed hard. "Months?"

"It's called postconcussive syndrome. New symptoms may develop, or he may continue to be bothered by symptoms from the injury. Don't be surprised if you notice him having trouble concentrating, sleeping too much or too little, or even being unsteady on his feet. He may also exhibit personality changes. For example, he may become angry, sad or anxious for no clear reason."

"Oh...wonderful. A con man with multiple personalities...this can get real interesting."

"One more thing, you said you suspect a whiplash injury and have his neck supported by a brace. Since he's lying down anyway because of the concussion that's not necessary. It's better for him to move his neck and start range of motion exercises after three days at the latest. The brace is okay for the first few days to avoid sudden movements but in bed they are not likely. Instead of holding his neck stiff he should do controlled slow moves."

"Erm…I doubt that's such a good idea, not until we got him x-rayed and he's more lucid. I coaxed him into moving his head just a tiny bit and he yelled in pain. Also he suffers from nightmares and with the vomiting going on, trust me, even in bed he does sudden moves."

"John, you need to get that boy of yours x-rayed ASAP. What you're telling me could be a very severe case of whiplash but could as well be a broken bone in the spinal cord or another neck injury. That symptom is nothing to wait around and see…one wrong move and he could be paralyzed for the rest of his life."

"I know, I hate to keep him away from medical care but it's just too risky right now. BA fashioned him a brace like those emergency ones, the type that immobilizes the neck and head completely. I hope that will do until we can get him proper care."

"John, really, the risk is too high. Just take him to a hospital to get the x-ray and leave."

"They would never allow me to take him home in his condition. Especially if he wakes up and claims to be nine years old and that he doesn't know me."

"Oh god, this is a terrible situation. And what about his vomiting? If you fashioned him that type of brace his jaw is immobilized too. How are you going to clean out his mouth? If bacteria enter his lungs it can cause pneumonia."

"He can open his mouth a little and I tried to clean him as good as possible, but that's my big fear too."

"Think John…think of something and I'll do the same, we need to help that boy. I'll wait for Murdock's call and in the mean time get the prescription for IV bags, pain meds, anti-inflammatory drugs, and muscle relaxants ready."

On her way home an idea hit Maggie. As soon as she entered the house she started to search her office for that complimentary card the salesman had left the other time, the one with the equipment rental for doctors. She thought she remembered that he mentioned portable x-ray machines too.

Murdock felt as if had been driving for ever before he finally came across a payphone. He barely had the car in park before he jumped out and ran toward the booth. He had the receiver in his hand when it hit him that he had no money.

'Now not only are you crazy, but you're also stupid.' He wasn't normally so hard on himself, but this was Face's health they were dealing with. 'Think, Murdock, think!'

He exited the booth and began to pace. Stopping in his tracks he thought, 'you can call collect!'

He began to pace again. 'Nah…too easy to trace.'

He paused once more. 'You can disassemble the phone!'

Back to pacing. 'If you were B.A. maybe…but without tools, not likely.

'I got it!' He snapped his fingers and headed for the car. "Here, Billy...come here, boy! I need you to use that nose of yours and find a dime."

Five minutes later Murdock was feeding the coin into the slot and smiling down at his dog. "And to think that they say you aren't real…this'll show 'em!"

Just a bit shy of 90-minutes later, he was back on the road and headed toward the motel stocked with all the supplies Maggie called into the local pharmacy as well as the x-ray machine. She had also given him the address of her friend in the area that had access to a special scanner for x-ray pictures to be digitalized and send via network. Though the quality was not the same as the original it was better than nothing. She pretty much ordered them to send over the results as soon as possible.

Murdock drove faster than he had ever done before…his foot pressed almost all the way down to the floor. But it would still be well over an hour before he got to the team; he just wondered what state they would be in when he arrived.

B.A. sat staring out the window willing Murdock to come pulling into the lot. Face hadn't woken again since he thought he was Holmes Morrison and B.A. couldn't remember the last time he felt so scared.

Face meant a lot to him…not that he allowed it to show much. They were both so different, but yet at their core they were quite alike. They both hid their true selves; B.A. behind his gold and muscle and Face behind his fancy clothes and perfect smile.

B.A. knew that Face's childhood had been quite difficult and that he harbored a lot of pain inside of him. And now he had just added to that pain…both physically and mentally.

Hannibal could see that B.A. was struggling to keep his composure. He also knew it would do no good to tell him yet again that Face's injuries weren't his fault. In fact, in a way they were. Not that any of them blamed the big guy; they knew he would never purposely hurt Face. But he had been riding the lieutenant mercilessly since the shooting and it was bound to end badly.

Hannibal took a seat next to his sergeant and put a hand on his shoulder. Sometimes words weren't necessary and actions spoke louder. B.A. looked over and smiled slightly; it meant a lot to have the colonel's support.

Their attention was quickly drawn to the man on the bed when they heard some small sounds. Face was crying.


	5. Chapter 5

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 5

Hannibal was at his side in an instant, looming over him to be in his line of vision without him having to try and look to his side with his head straight up. One hand settled on Face's head the other reached for his hand as he spoke, "shh kid, don't cry, what is it? The pain?"

Face pulled his hand away and wrapped it around himself. "Please sir, please don't hurt me again, just let me go, please," he sobbed. His speech was less slurred but the brace made it hard to talk.

"Shh kid, we're not hurting you."

"But…the thing on my head, it hurts so bad…what did you put it on me for? Did I do something wrong? Please let me go….I won't tell anybody…I can't even see your face clearly, I could never describe you to the police…please sir."

"Calm down kid, you've had an accident. What's your name and how old are you?"

"But I told you, I'm Holmes Morrison and I'm nine. It's the truth…please let me go."

"Yes I remember you told me, sorry, I have so many patients. You're in a hospital, kid…we're taking care of you." Hannibal hoped that would calm Face some but instead he got more agitated.

"I know what hospitals look like….not like this." He pulled up his legs in an attempt to scurry to the head of the bed and away from the stranger in front of him but was stopped by what felt like large hands on his lower legs. Due to the brace he could not see his attacker and kicked out with all his might. Some of the kicks he had learned during his military time had become instinct and he applied them even now. BA and Hannibal had a hard time keeping him under control.

"Stop doing that, Faceman," his unseen attacker growled out.

Face went even more wild. Who was Faceman, a third attacker? And what was it he shouldn't do? Each move made his neck and head hurt even more, by now it felt like his whole back and shoulders were on fire. What had those men done to him? No matter the pain, survival instinct told him to get away from his torturers, and fast.

"He's hurting himself man, maybe we should give him some of my knock out juice."

"I would rather not BA. Kid, calm down. We're only trying to keep you still." No reaction.

"Holmes…Holmes listen to me. We'll remove our hands as soon as you stop struggling, promise." It felt so strange to use that name on the man he knew for so long now. But it got through to him and he calmed some, all the time eying Hannibal with suspicion.

"I want to see the others."

"BA come up here, you're out of his line of vision."

BA did as was told and came up to Face's waist but still maintained a hold on his upper legs.

"The other one too."

"Which other one? It's only the two of us Holmes."

"No the one you called Faceman, the one who was to stop something he was doing. I heard you."

"He…uhm…he's gone again. We're alone here, just the three of us…you, me and BA here. I'm Doc Smith and BA is my assistant. This is a private institution; that's why it doesn't look like a hospital." He hoped he would get through with that; after all, how much could a nine year old know about hospitals? He didn't really like for Face to not call him Hannibal but felt he would be better able to see progress in case Face did call him Hannibal.

Face's eyes narrowed, he was obviously thinking hard and the pain made it difficult. "No, it's not. I know how hospitals smell and this is not one. And what was that about the knock out juice? Is this some kind of test…" his words trailed off and he turned as white as the sheet he was laying on. "No, please…you can't do that…it's illegal to test drugs on humans…please…don't inject me with anything."

He was back to struggling against their hands but his body soon gave out and his eyes rolled back.

"Oh man this is weird. Even at this age he didn't trust anyone."

"I hoped he would have gained some more memory by now. Let me use the opportunity to check his cuts." He carefully pulled away the bandage. "I don't like it…it looks too red and slightly swollen. I hope he's not headed for an infection. It wouldn't surprise me though, we had less than perfect conditions to stitch him up and clean the wound. I hope Murdock will come back fast, Maggie said something about anti inflammatory drugs."

Less than five minutes later Murdock was stopping his rental car in front of the room they had acquired and came in just as BA had opened the door.

Murdock ran over to the bed. "How is he?"

"Still nine years old and he's been better. You got everything, Captain?"

"Yes, outside in the car, even a portable x-ray machine."

Face woke from the sound and the cool air that Murdock had brought in.

"Hey there, buddy, how are you feeling?"

He instantly liked that man, he looked friendly enough. Unless this was the one called Faceman, someone with such a name didn't sound very trustworthy, probably used a friendly face as a facade.

"Are you the Faceman?"

Murdock chuckled "I'm…"

Before he could say anything Hannibal jumped in, "Yes, he's the one we called Faceman. See, I told you he was gone, he brought a lot of medicine for you to get better, now rest some more kid."

"No…no…please, no medicine…please…you can't do that." Face needed more rest and his body decided now was the time. He was out again.

Hannibal enlightened Murdock while they got the things out of the car.

"Doc Sullivan said you should call her to get more instructions on the drugs and the machine; she wants to get an update on his condition before telling how much of the drugs he needs. She'll be waiting at the sheriffs."

"Fine…BA, can you handle that machine?"

"Sure, just need to get into the manual and try it out."

Hannibal went right to the phone. "Maggie? You're my personal hero today; this machine will help us a great deal."

"Can you operate it?"

"BA says yes, you can help him through the phone."

"Sure thing, the most important thing will be to hold him in the right position without the neck brace and keep him perfectly still."

"That will be a problem."

"Why?"

"Have you ever tried to take an x-ray of a nine year old, combat hardened special force soldier who doesn't trust anyone, let alone the three strange men that want to use him as a human guinea pig to test drugs and have put some strange thing at his head that hurts him like hell?" Mentally he added, 'and put an IV in his arm while he was sleeping…poor kid will be scared shitless without even seeing the x-ray machine.'

As expected, Face began to come around while Hannibal was setting up for the IV. Murdock saw Face's legs shift so he began calling his name…or at least what he thought was his name.

"Holmes…time to wake up, buddy. Just stay real still. Doc. Smith is just going to put some medicine in your arm to make you feel better. C'mon Holmes…open your eyes for me."

Face fulfilled the request and opened his eyes, but he found they weren't focusing too well. "Wha…what happened? Where…where am I?"

"You hurt your head, remember? We're going to take care of you, Holmes."

Face was blinking his eyes and trying to get his vision to clear. "Why do you keep calling me Holmes?" he asked.

"Oh brother," B.A. moaned. "Here we go again." He had just gotten off the phone with Maggie and began to set up the equipment for the x-ray.

Hannibal didn't know who Face was at the moment, but he figured he would find out after inserting the needle. "Kid," he started, not knowing what else to call him, "I'm going to insert this needle into your arm to get some fluids into you, okay?"

Face hated needles, but he didn't want to look like some scared kid in front of the doctor. "Yeah…okay." Face flinched as the needle pierced his skin, but didn't utter a sound.

'That was way too easy,' Hannibal thought.

"When can I get back in the game, coach?" Face asked Murdock.

B.A. couldn't help but snicker. "Coach? Now that's funny."

Murdock rolled his eyes at B.A. before turning his focus back to Face. "Before you go back in, we need to ask you a few questions. What's your name?"

"C'mon…you know my name. Temp…Temp Peck."

It was Hannibal's turn. "What's the last thing you remember, Temp?"

"Trying to complete a pass…was hit hard. Dropped ball…fell…sorry coach." Face looked upset as if he had done something wrong.

Murdock patted Face's leg. "Hey, it happens. I just want to make sure you are okay."

Hannibal figured that Face had gone back to playing quarterback on his high school football team. 'At least we're getting closer to the present,' he thought. It also explained why Face wasn't so scared; he was trying to be brave for what he thought was his coach and the team doctors. "Temp, I need to know exactly how you are feeling."

"I'm fine," he lied. "Ready to get back in the game."

B.A. looked up from his work and shook his head. Some things never changed…but he had to admit the kid had guts.

Murdock didn't like how Face kept blinking. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Um…two…no…four…um…maybe three," Face looked perplexed.

"That would explain why he thinks you the coach, fool," B.A. joked. "He can't see right."

"Temp, you have to be honest with me," Hannibal insisted. "Where are you hurting?"

Face figured there was no way he was getting back into the game now so he had nothing to lose by telling the truth. "My head hurts bad…all the way down to my neck and back. I'm kinda dizzy…and can't see very well." He paused feeling like a cry baby and then added, "but I can take it."

"I know you can, kid, but we need to take some x-rays to make sure you didn't do some real damage, okay?" Hannibal didn't like that he was having back pain now; the sooner he could have Maggie look over the pictures the better he would feel.

The collar removed, Face remained completely still and allowed B.A. to position what looked like a camera right above his neck. "Now, don't move. I'm gonna go over there and press a button that'll take a picture. I'll tell you when you need to hold your breath and when you can let it go." They repeated the process three more times: once for each side of the neck and once to the head where B.A. fist had made contact.

Face's energy looked like it was fading fast; it had been hard keeping his head stationary when it felt like it weighed 100 pounds and was attached to an aching neck. The last thing he said before giving into the darkness was, "Did we win the game?"

"That's to be determined, kid," Hannibal muttered while handing Murdock an envelope containing the x-ray pictures.

"Maggie said her friend is only about 15 minutes away and she knows I am coming. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Murdock returned within the hour and then began the agonizing wait for the phone to ring with Maggie's diagnosis.

When the phone finally did ring the three aware members of the team jumped at the sound. Hannibal's heart was pounding as he lifted the receiver.

"John?"

"Hi Mags...did you get the pictures?"

"Yes…I'm looking at the images right now…"

"And…," Hannibal interrupted impatiently.

Maggie smiled into the phone at just how much the man on the other end cared about his boys. "And nothing appears broken."

"Thank God," Hannibal sighed giving Murdock and B.A. a thumbs-up sign. "Do you still think he needs a hospital?"

"Under normal circumstances, I would still probably advise it as a precaution. But you, John Smith, and your men are anything but normal," she teased.

Hannibal laughed, "True…very true."

Maggie's tone turned serious. "Now that the good news is out of the way…did you put the brace back on?"

"Why do I hate it so much when doctors say that? Yes we did…what's going on Mags?"

"He has a Sublaxation, a partial dislocation of one of the cervical vertebra."

"A dislocated bone in his spinal cord? How bad is that?"

"I want you to make sure he keeps very still until it is set. It's a partial dislocation meaning it could snap back in by itself."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"No, it's not. It could be good but the chances are slim. From what I can see on the x-ray the ligaments are either torn or severely stretched and swelling occurred. The bone has been out of place for long and if it snaps back in now it could pinch some nerves. That can lead to permanent paralysis, John. As long as he's not responding properly I would advise to tie him down to the bed."

"What should we do?"

"He needs what is called skull traction but it has to be done by a trained person or else the risks are just too great."

"Are you trained?"

"I am but the military came snooping around here today again. You can't come here right now and I don't want Face to be moved."

"What about you coming here? Can you find an excuse to leave?"

"They want to see me this afternoon. Probably better I'm around."

"What about you leave tomorrow morning and Murdock meets you on the way to make sure you're not followed?"

"I need to see the real pictures first to know exactly what tools I need to bring, the scanned images give some idea but I can't be sure on finer things, there might be some cracks or hairline fractures that require special attention while setting." They heard some talking in the background. "Hank overheard us and offered to meet Murdock in Tomsville; that should be about the middle between you and us. Can you send him out right now?"

"Sure."

"There's another thing, the picture of his temple. When you said cut I was thinking of broken skin from the impact. Those are 4 deep cuts. Whatever did BA wear?"

"His rings."

"The cuts are so deep in places that there are scrapes to the bone, must hurt like hell. Also it looks like infection is likely. I can't really see much on the images since it's soft tissue and the image is greasy. What I can tell you is that he has one heck of a bruise and it's mainly on the inside. If you hadn't suggested that I come over I would have. I want to take a close look at it. I may have to drain the bruise to reduce the pressure on his temple."

"Oh damn, damn, damn. Hopefully he'll remain in his football player self that seems to be cooperative with doctors."

"He may jump back and forth between personalities as I told you before. Okay, I want you to administer one shot of anti inflammatory drug I gave Murdock every six hours. In addition to that one shot of pain medication every eight hours and the muscle relaxant every 12 hours. Keep him on the IV until I come and don't try to feed him or give him water. The risk of vomiting while still in the brace is too high. One, he would not be able to hold real still while retching and two, bile may enter his airways. Now send Murdock on the way…I want to take a good look at those pictures, and remember to keep him still."

Much as Hannibal and BA hated the idea they understood that they had to tie him down to protect him from himself. If he started kicking out again things could end bad.

Face slept for another hour before he woke again.

"Hi there kid, how are you feeling."

Big confused eyes looked at Hannibal, or tried anyway. "Who…who are you…where…am I….what…happened?"

'Oh great, another one.' "Can you tell me your name and age kid?"

"I can't see well…oww…my back ….oww….I didn't do anything…I'll be good, I promise, I'll be real good. Please don't beat me again."

"What's your name kid?"

"A…Alvin…please sir, I'll be good … I promise."

Hannibal got the pain meds ready while talking. He knew Face would react badly to it, they should have told Maggie about his history with drugs since she was treating him for the first time. But it would numb his pain for now and that was what mattered, they could deal with the aftereffects later. "How old are you Alvin?"

"I'm…owww" the sensation of the needle pricking skin was too much for the over sensitive nerves in Face's body and he passed out again.

"Damn, Hannibal. I can't keep track of all the new Faces," B.A. said, shifting his weight to get more comfortable.

"How's the leg? With all the focus on Face, I forgot that you're hurt too."

"Nah…I'm fine." 'Compared to Faceman, I'm doin' great,' he thought.

Hannibal placed a light blanket on top of B.A.'s lap and ordered, "I want you to rest. When Maggie gets here we're probably going to need all hands on deck for whatever medical procedures she has planned."

"It's bad, ain't it?"

Hannibal had tried to spare his men the details, but he figured they would find out soon enough. "Yeah," he sat down hard into a chair. "It can be if not treated."

"I swear, man," B.A. said with tears in his eyes, "I ain't never gonna forgive myself if…he…um…if…"

"Hey, hey…come on B.A….don't let yourself go there. Face is strong. He's a tough kid…he'll pull through okay."

B.A. nodded, and they spent some time just sitting in silence. There was no doubt in his mind that Face was strong and tough, but that did little to assuage his fears.

B.A. remembered when Face was in the infirmary recovering from his injured hand and wrist. It was about a day after he finally regained consciousness that his hand began to swell and his fever spiked again. Turns out that the infection was so deep that they hadn't been able to get it all the first time. They had to go back in and cut out the infected tissue, but in his weakened state they couldn't risk putting him under.

The team sat by his side as one doctor held his arm still while the other performed the agonizing operation. Face grunted a couple of times and was shaking with pain by the time it was over, but he had been so brave and took it like a man. And later when he was finally able to speak he joked feebly, "Colonel, your training sessions are way worse than that was." B.A. had laughed with the others, but he remembered it being forced.

Hannibal kept his eyes on Face; he looked so small lying in the large bed. He, too, would never forgive himself if Face was permanently disabled. 'I should have taken him to a hospital. What good is being a free man if he becomes a prisoner of his own body?'

Before either man had a chance to torture themselves further, Face began to talk. He was most definitely not awake as the words poured from his mouth…uncensored and raw.

"B.A. hates you…he made that loud and clear. Stupid gun would have to go and jam. At least he's okay…even if he does think you're scum. It's not as if he's wrong…you're no good…never have been. Nobody wants you around. The guys tolerate you…you can get things…but it doesn't mean they like you. Wish they knew how much you loved them. Wish B.A. knew…wish B.A. knew…wish B.A. knew…"

Face's voice trailed off and he was quiet once more. Hannibal and B.A. looked at each other and then at the ground.

Hannibal broke the silence by saying, "At least he remembers who we are at a subconscious level."

"Yeah, but he think we don't like him…and he thinks I hate him."

"He's sick, B.A. He's not in his right mind…obviously. We can't put any stock in what comes out of his mouth." Or was this the real Face coming through…the one without any walls up or any masks in place?

"Was Alvin also one of his names as a kid?"

"Yeah, the first one they gave him at the orphanage since he couldn't tell his real name, I don't know how long he kept it. He told me before that he hated that name. He could be anywhere between five and nine now."

"He sounded like he had some experience with being beaten by adults, just ain't right man."

"We don't know that BA, he always speaks fondly of the orphanage and can't remember what happened before then. It might just be the pain he felt and he thought we were the source of it."

"Didn't sound like that. Why would he associate pain with being beaten?"

The topic wasn't discussed further as Hannibal sensed movement on the bed.

It was the return of Murdock that caused Face to wake this time, the sound of the engine outside was enough to let him open his eyes…it was anybody's guess who he would be this time.

Hannibal decided to find out and stepped over to the bed and in the line of Face's vision. He couldn't see BA who was stretched out on the only other bed. The owner of the motel never asked why a single person needed a two bed room and a spacious one at that but then again nobody asked much when it came to Hannibal in disguise mimicking an eccentric person that needs lots of personal space. Then again he hadn't wanted to risk suspicions by asking for more than two beds but at least the owner of the place was happy to get that particular room off to the back of the motel rented out, thinking that this man would not complain. It used to be a storage area in the past and then a lot of people came to town and more rooms could be rented out so the place was turned into a two bed room. It didn't last long though and now that room was empty most of the time. It was a narrow but long room. One bed was at the far corner and could be separated from the rest by a foldable door that looked like it had survived the old times, probably used to separate a small office from the rest of the storage room, the other one at the front. In between was a table and chairs and right in front, next to the door was the phone fixed to the wall. A wardrobe had obviously not fit in or was removed for another, more frequently used room. Face occupied the bed at the far corner.

"Hey kid."

Face's eyes darted around the room, he was clearly confused. "Han'bal?"

"Yes kid, I'm here. How are you feeling?" Hannibal was relieved that Face recognized him and hoped he was back with them but those hopes were destroyed an instant later.

"What…what are you doing here…get out, fast…before Lynch sees you…how did you get here?"

Hannibal didn't really know what Face was talking about but his best guess was the time they spend in the stockade. He wanted to play safe though.

"Shh, kid, Face, you need to stay very still for me, you're hurt."

"No…no I'm not…had a nightmare and they tied me down again…don't know why they keep doing that…even my head, as if I could hurt somebody with my head. Oh man I hate solitary. But seriously, you need to go, how did you get out of your cell and in here?"

It never ceased to amaze Hannibal how somebody who was out of his mind with pain and obviously not quite there with his mind could ramble on like this. No matter how much his speech slurred Face would not shut up after he had been in solitary for some time. He saw it in Nam, in the camps and at Fort Bragg too. There was one incident that they had all shared a laugh about but it really just showed how much the kid needed human contact. Face had been separated from the unit he had gone over the wire with and was lost in the jungle. When the men returned Hannibal was furious, Face had been on that mission without the others because an expert sniper was needed. They had left him behind without giving him a chance to come to the rendezvous. The team went out to search but only found him a full week later. He was injured and in bad shape but kept pushing the mask the medic placed over his nose and mouth away to talk about everything and nothing.

Before Hannibal could think of an answer a smile crept over Face's features. "We're escaping, right'? You came to get me, yes?"

"No kid, sorry, you need to get better first. But solitary is over, they allowed me to stay with you."

His face fell but he quickly covered it. "I…I really don't feel so good. My head and back hurts and I can't see well, only shapes…what happened? I don't…remember I…I'm gonna…"

Face tried to move but Hannibal cradled his head in both hands in addition to the brace to stop every little movement and give support as Face began to heave.

"Don't move kid, just spit it out if you can, or use your tongue to push it. I'll clean it up for you." This was the receipt for the pain killer and the other drugs he had administered.

When Face had some control over himself again he got more confused. "Hannibal, what's this all about? Why can't I see well, why do you leave me tied down, please remove the restraints, please."

And then, before Hannibal could prevent it, Murdock came inside and over to the bed. "Hi there, buddy."

"M…Murdock…what are you doing here…Han'bal why…why is Murdock here…he's not being tried…why did they bring him to the prison…Han'bal Murdock shouldn't be here." Face's breathing accelerated to the point of hyperventilation, he was totally confused and scared now.

"Calm down Face, everything is going to be fine. Calm down."

"What's going on…why? Why is Murdock here? Why don't you untie me? Did I do something? Please." Then a thought struck him, if Murdock was here he had come to break them out. "No…no, whatever I did…I'll make it up to you…please…please don't leave me here…not tied down….please…"

The ringing of the phone was the last stab to hypersensitive nerves and Face blacked out again.

"What was that about?" Murdock looked about as confused as Face had but Hannibal signaled him 'later' as he went to pick up the phone.

"Maggie, you got them?"

"Yes and I can't see any fracture or crack but some ligaments are torn and others stretched."

"Do they need repair?"

"They'll heal on their own, it's going to be painful for some time."

"You don't sound too happy about that."

"That was the good news, the bad is his temple. This bruise is big and causes pressure on the inside, it needs to be drained for sure and I can't even see the full extent on the x-ray…a scan would be better. Did he complain about symptoms getting worse?"

"He keeps complaining about his sight. First he couldn't see our faces clear now he sees only shapes."

"Darn, that could be from the pressure, it needs to be drained and fast. I can't come to you before tomorrow, I'm afraid I would draw the military to you. Can you do it?"

"How?"

"Can you see the bruise? Should be brown to violet and dark by now."

Hannibal carefully removed the bandage. "Not really, rather red and puffy. It's bruised but not dark like there was a lot of blood collected."

"I was afraid so. It's rather deep. If I instruct you exactly which spot to make an incision can you do it?"

"With what? A kitchen knife? We only have a first aid kit here."

"I would normally use a needle but if you go too deep you can cause a lot of damage. I would rather you got a scalpel and make an incision."

"Can't you tell me where to put the needle and exactly how deep it should go?"

"No, it's too risky, one millimeter too deep and you can cause real damage; it's easier to make a very shallow incision."

"What about we sterilize a razor blade?" BA threw in.

"That would have to do. We can't wait longer, if the pressure remains for too long his vision could be permanently damaged."

"Okay, give me a minute."

Hannibal took a razor blade that BA was unwrapping with a tweezers and sterilized it with solution. He then handed the tweezers back to BA and put on sterile gloves before taking the blade.

"Okay, start."

"Open up the second cut from top, cut out the stitches I mean. But be very careful…always cut from top, don't try to insert the blade in the wound and don't press too much."

"Okay….done."

"Good, now hold the wound open with sterile gloves, if Murdock's back he can assist you."

"Okay…we're ready."

"Now make a very shallow cut at the base of the wound."

Face woke to intense pain and heard a voice over the loudspeaker of a phone say 'cut at the base of the wound.'

"No…no…I told you I'm not your guinea pig…get away from me."

"What's going on there?"

"Leave me alone you scum, get away from me."

"Our nine year old woke up." Hannibal had hoped to have the procedure done before he regained consciousness. The thought of cutting such a young boy made him feel sick.

Murdock sat next to Face on the opposite of the bed from where Hannibal and B.A. were. "It's okay, Holmes. We're just trying to help you…it's almost over."

"Why're you calling me Homes again, coach?"

"Um, scratch that, Maggie," Hannibal corrected. "We have a teenager now."

"Hopefully as you drain some fluid his vision will improve and perhaps he will stick to one persona," Maggie encouraged.

"Let's just hope it's the right one," Hannibal said. "I'm going to make the cut now."

Murdock took Face's hand and said, "Temp, the doc here needs to drain some fluid from a bruise on your head. Just squeeze my hand if it hurts, but stay still."

"Okay," Face said. He took Murdock up on his offer and gripped the hand with all his might as he felt the blade slice through his temple. Tears came to his eyes, but he remained unmoving.

"All done," Hannibal announced to the room as well as Maggie.

"Good, tell me what you see."

"Dark fluid is seeping out."

"That's just the blood that has collected there. It should change to a more bright red color very soon," Maggie said.

Hannibal reached for a sterile gauze pad that B.A. was holding out to him and held it under the wound to collect the fluid. "It looks more red already."

Maggie sighed with relief. "Good…how heavy is the flow?"

"Moderate, but it seems to be letting up."

"Perfect. I want you to leave the incision open to drain. Cover it with a loose bandage and replace it anytime it soaks through. If he goes through more than three bandages in the hour then you will have to consider stitching it back up. But I'd like to examine the wound first, so if we can hold off until tomorrow that would be ideal."

Face was still holding onto Murdock tight and breathing hard. "How are you doing, Temp? The doc's all done and you should be feeling better soon."

"Mur…Murdock? Why are you calling me Temp?" Face said through gritted teeth. "Wait…Chao got you too? Please no…"

"Oh brother," B.A. said. "I'm gonna need _my_ brain drained after this."


	6. Chapter 6

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 6

"Face…calm down buddy. You're safe….we're all safe. You've been hurt and need to rest."

Maggie could hear the panic in Face's voice. "What's going on, John?"

"Well, it looks as if Face has graduated high school and has moved onto the camps."

"The camps?" Maggie had a sinking feeling she knew what Hannibal meant, but she was hoping to be wrong.

Hannibal forgot that Maggie didn't know all the details of their time in Nam. "Yeah, we were POWs for a while…Face had it worse than most." It wasn't a topic he wanted to get into now and he could see that Face was losing control. "Look Maggie, I better go…he's getting upset."

"You call me if you have any questions and I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Thanks…for everything." Hannibal hung up the phone. "B.A. hold this gauze for me. I want to wait until it slows a little more before applying a bandage." He moved next to Murdock and said. "Face…it's Hannibal."

"No…no…got you too?"

"Murdock, would you mind?" Hannibal asked. Murdock immediately switched places with the colonel. "Face…kid…listen to me. We aren't in the camps…we are all safe. You took a hit to your head and that's why you are confused."

"No…no…he's here…he's gonna hurt…gonna hurt you…like hurt me."

"Kid…I promise…it's okay. Have I ever lied to you?"

"N…No." Face seemed to be pacified by this and his breathing slowed.

"Face, I need you to tell me how you feel…and I mean everything."

"My head…hurts." It came out as almost a sob and Face was instantly embarrassed that he was letting the pain show. His face went red and he clamped his mouth shut.

"Hey…hey…it's okay. Now, what else?"

"My back…hurts…shoots up to my neck."

"Maggie said you have some ligament damage in your neck."

Face's brow furrowed as if trying to remember something. "Maggie?" he questioned as he drew a blank.

"She's a doctor friend of mine," Hannibal explained. "How's your vision?"

"Blurry," he admitted.

"Can you see me at all?"

"Yeah…I can see…it's just not real sharp."

Hannibal smiled; it was progress. "Good…that's real good."

Face raised his eyes to see B.A. by his head. "Hey B.A….you okay? How's your leg?"

"I'm just fine, Faceman. Just fine. Been real worried about you though."

"You have?" B.A. was thrown by just how shocked Face sounded. 'He really don't think I care about him.'

"Yeah…real worried." B.A. ran his free hand through Face's hair in a rare show of affection. Then it hit him. "Hey…you asked about my leg…that mean you startin' to remember again!"

Face looked away, "As if I could forget what I did. I'm … so sorry … BA, I really didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not mad at you. Accidents happen."

"But…you…you don't want to hit me anymore?"

"No, of course not, I could never hurt you intentionally."

Face felt drained. He hurt bad and it made it impossible to concentrate. He had a nagging feeling that there was something he needed to do but just couldn't place it. What BA just said was already forgotten again as he tried so hard to concentrate. He drifted off into a fitful sleep.

BA was still holding the gauze to Face's head but the flow of blood had lessened considerably and Hannibal got ready to apply a bandage.

"Do you think drainin' the bruise caused him to remember and now that the pressure is gone he'll have his full memory?"

"I doubt it, maybe it will get better as his vision clears but Maggie said we can expect personality changes for some time. I'm sure glad it wasn't Holmes I had to cut, or even worse, little Alvin. Remove the gauze and give me room to apply the bandage."

"Yeah, that was a last minute change."

"Go and lay down again BA, you need your rest as much as Face does."

"Yeah man, I'm not goin' ta argue. I feel real weak and tired, must be the fools blood."

"Ah my big cuddly blood brother, my blood would cause you to bounce off the walls, not to be tired. It's your angry mudsucker blood that makes you feel this way."

"Knock it off you two. Murdock, draw the blinds. We can all do with some more rest as long as we can get it." With BA and Face occupying the beds, Hannibal slept in a chair next to Face's bed and Murdock settled on the floor. They slept for about three hours before Face's mumbling woke them.

"It wasn't me father I swear…the window was already broken when I passed their yard this morning to go to school, please believe me….yes….yes I did play football with two boys from my class…yes, sir…I know I shouldn't do so in my good clothes…but I didn't get dirty and we didn't kick hard and not even near that window…please believe me…they only want to stick it on me because they know I don't have family who'll call them on it. …I know…no, please…please don't make me…I like those boys and I'm not allowed to leave the compound again when I return from school and we're not allowed to bring other kids here. If I come to change my clothes I can't go back to play with them…please…please don't do that…I'm sorry father…I know we're plenty kids to play with…yes, I'm thankful for that…I'm real sorry father…real sorry…"

Face's voice trailed off and he continued to sleep.

"Sounds like we're back to little Alvin, or Holmes at the most."

"And I so hoped we had passed this jumpin' around. It's makin' me dizzy."

"Umm Hannibal, what was happening when I came back, why did Face say I shouldn't be there?"

"He was at Fort Bragg and you weren't tried with us. He thought we were going over the wall without him while he's in solitary."

"Nah man, worse, he thought we woulda run while he was in solitary and tied down and we could have taken him along but chose not to."

"Yeah, his insecurities reach deep, even his subconscious is afraid to be left behind."

"Was he really tied down colonel? In prison I mean."

"Lynch's a parasite who lives to torture others, somehow he must have gotten to know how Face hated to be alone. He took every small opportunity to send Face to solitary. I could never shake the feeling that he initiated some of the fights between Face and other inmates just to have an excuse. Sometimes he came back battered and bruised. Being his CO I always asked for a report and it said he went wild in his dreams and had to eventually be restrained to protect himself and the guards."

"But it doesn't sound like Face to hurt himself in a nightmare."

"No, but we always stop him before it gets out of hand. But if nobody was there to prevent worse, who knows…"

The day dragged on with Face waking up to a different personality anytime he opened his eyes. By evening he had started to develop a temperature which Hannibal didn't like at all. BA too had slept a lot and was sweating. In the late evening he complained about his discomfort and immense pain and also that it was so hot. Hannibal had just been about to tend to Face and sponge bathe him. He had removed all restraints and was about to wake him when he heard BA complaining. He re-buckled only the strap over Face's chest and closed the foldable door partially to keep their voices away. Hannibal then proceeded to BA's bed and removed his bandage to find his thigh hot and swollen.

"Damn," Hannibal cursed. "This looks bad."

"Nah…I'm…I'm…fine," B.A. stuttered.

"Sure you are, sergeant." Hannibal turned to Murdock. "Do me a favor…call Maggie and tell her that both Face and B.A. are running fevers and that B.A.'s leg appears infected."

"Just told you I was fine, man!" B.A. boomed loudly, his fever making him agitated.

Face woke with a start as B.A. began to yell from the front of the room. 'B.A.'s mad at me…need to apologize. Get up…stop being a wimp.' Face pushed himself up slowly, his head swimming and throbbing dreadfully. The brace around his neck did its job in keeping his head and neck in proper alignment, but it didn't do much to ease the pain in his neck or back.

He stumbled his way over to the wall and used it to keep him vertical. For how long he would remain that way was anybody's guess.

"B.A., calm down," Hannibal said gently.

"I ain't gonna calm down. I'm fine…don't need no help…take care of Faceman…he deserve it."

"So that's what this is about…still feeling guilty about Face?"

B.A.s anger seemed to dissipate at his colonel's words, leaving him weak and deflated. "My fault…my fault…my fault. Faceman gonna hate me."

Hannibal wiped some sweat off of B.A. brow and patted his arm. "Face loves you." Ironically, he had said almost those same words to Face a couple of days prior.

"He does?" B.A. murmured.

"I do."

The words came from the back of the room where the table was and Hannibal swore his heart stopped beating for a few seconds. They had not heard a sound of Face getting up and walking the few steps to his current position.

"Face!" he exclaimed, jumping up and getting to the swaying man right before he crumpled to the ground. "Murdock! I need you in here!"

Murdock came running into the room having just got off the phone with Maggie and left the room to get the car from the parking lot. "What in the…Face?"

"We need to get him back to bed...take one side and I'll get the other. We have to move slow and steady. B.A. stay put…that's an order."

B.A. nodded, a look of horror in his delirious eyes. 'Face said he loved me…and now he might have hurt himself more 'cause of me yellin'.

Face was still awake, but barely. By the time they were able to walk him back to the bed he was a quivering mess. "S…sorry…B.A….had to…tell him…sorry."

"Shh, muchacho. Just be still. Close those eyes and just be real still."

Hannibal was petrified that Face may have done some damage by moving as much as he did. But at the same time he was encouraged that he was able to make it so far on his own two feet. "What did Maggie say?"

"The military are completely gone…it was confirmed by the sheriff. She said to leave now and she will meet me half-way as planned. She can be here within a few hours."

"Go." The sooner they got medical help, the better.

By the time Maggie arrived both Face and B.A. were awake, but completely out of it. One look at B.A.'s leg and Maggie instantly opened her bag and began pulling out supplies. "I need to lance and drain the wound. I'll start him on a round of antibiotics and that should do the trick."

"What can we do?" Hannibal asked anxiously.

"Murdock stay with Face; Hannibal get this IV started in B.A. I'm going to give him a sedative to knock him out before starting.

Once Maggie was satisfied that she had removed all the infectious material, she disinfected the wound and applied a new dressing.

"Why did this happen?" Hannibal questioned.

Maggie shrugged. "There is no way of knowing, but if I had to guess I would say that it is due to him not resting his leg properly. But it's not B.A. I'm worried about. The antibiotics should clear up any infection that may be lingering. He'll be sore for a while to come, but he should be up and around in less than a week."

Hannibal was relieved to hear that news. However, if she wasn't worried about B.A. it meant that she was worried about Face.

"B.A. should sleep for quite a while to come. I have added a painkiller to his IV cocktail which should keep him comfortable. At that point we can always top him off if need be."

"And Face?"

Maggie bit at her lip nervously; how could she tell the man before her what they were about to do to someone he considered to be a son?

"Umm, first of all I need a new set of x-rays. I hope this stunt he just pulled didn't shift anything; the brace you constructed should have prevented it. While we wait for the pictures I'll explain the procedure to you."

Maggie got busy with the machine. When she was done she didn't put the brace back on.

"You said he needs skull traction, is that what you're going to do now?"

Maggie was relieved, if John knew the procedure it would be easier to break the news on him, however her relief didn't last long as Hannibal continued.

"What should we do? Do you need us to hold his body while you pull at his head?"

She went to Face's head, his eyes were glazed over and he didn't acknowledge her presence. As before, when she checked his vitals just after arriving, he moaned at the slightest touch. He was in so much pain by now that every single touch to his head brought discomfort, even with the painkiller in his system.

"John, I don't know you guys for long but I noticed a special bond between you and Face. I know he means a lot to you. As I explain what I have to do please keep in mind that it sounds much more cruel than it feels and he'll have a pain killer. There's no way around it. Unfortunately performing skull traction is not as simple as you put it. I have to attach weights to his skull."

She paused to let it sink in.

"With a rope?"

"There's a way to do it with some kind of cloth but it's much more uncomfortable for the patient and the success rate is rather low."

"Then what?"

"I'll apply skull tongs called cones calipers, it will be fixed to his skull with pins. Then a rope will be attached at which I hang the weights. I'll…."

"Wait…wait a minute, you want to attach something to his skull with pins?"

"Exactly, they'll be screwed into his skull bone."

Hannibal looked shocked and so did Murdock. Face was blissfully out of it and was spared from listening to the theory.

"I know it sounds cruel but it isn't that bad, compared to what could happen if it remains untreated, and the traction will also ease the muscle spasms in his back and neck. After a while he'll feel better than now."

She looked around and as she saw no one was going to say something she went on. "As I was about to explain I'll watch the progress with x-rays to see how many weights we have to attach…it will be something between 25 to 40 pounds. First thing I want you to consider is cutting his hair short."

Hannibal had remained in some kind of shock so far but this brought him out of it. "No, no way, Face is very particular about his hair, even during army time he never had it very short. He'll already hate me for shaving some portion off."

"I need to shave off another two patches for the pins and you already shaved part. Don't you think he would want it shorter altogether rather than sporting holes for a long time? The less hair, the easier it will be to clean it in the coming time."

"Why? I thought you're only going to set his neck and then remove the weights."

"No, when he's set I'll take his measurements and order a halo vest. He'll have to wear it for about 2 weeks to allow the ligaments to heal some. It will be ready in about a day, until then he remains in traction."

"What's that?"

"A kind of plastic vest around his torso and a metal ring around his head. It's connected by four upright posts between the shoulder of the vest and the ring to hold his head in position."

Hannibal was feeling sick from just listening to her. Face had been hit in the head so often. Why was this happening to him now? He had already forgotten about the hair again.

"So, what's it going to be?"

"Huh?"

"His hair."

"Oh, can't it stay?"

"It can, only it makes things more complicated and increases the risk of infection around the pins."

"Then we leave it. If he agrees we can still cut it later on."

"Hannibal, she's right, he'll need to cut it short anyway, do you really want to risk infection?" Murdock had been quiet so far. He had a tendency to be the most sane of them in difficult situations. Maybe it was because he lived in a hospital he wasn't as shocked by such things as Hannibal was.

"We don't need to shave him, just cut it short enough so that no hair would fall on the shaved patches."

Hannibal was torn but finally relented. He and Murdock carefully cut the hair on top and at the sides of Face's head while Maggie got all the equipment ready. The back of his head stayed as it was since they couldn't move him.

"Okay, now let's get this place as sterile as possible. John, I want you to stay and assist. Murdock, stay with BA."

"Assist with what and why sterile?"

"Assist with setting the pins. I need to make a small incision, about two inches over every ear, then work it open to the bone, drill a small hole in his skull bone and screw in the pins that will later on hold the skull tongs and after that the ring of the halo vest."

Hannibal was feeling physically sick now. "I thought pins as in needles that are pressed in."

"No, pins that are screwed in under use of a local anesthetic. Now let me shave those patches and get the place ready, close this foldable door."

Maggie got to work and as the razor scraped over Faces skin he became more aware, only it was not the present Face but one of his former selves.

"Did we …make…it? Wh…where's Han…bal?"

Hannibal heard Face asking for him and came running over. "Hey, kid."

"Did…we…make it. Are…are…we free?"

Maggie looked at Hannibal wondering if he had any idea where Face was this time. "I'm set, John," she whispered. "Take the time you need to calm him."

"Face, yes, we made it." Where they made it from he wasn't sure, but it didn't much matter.

"Oh…good…couldn't take…prison."

It was falling into place; Face was back at Fort Bragg. "We all made it out. But you were injured, kid."

"Huh? That would…explain…why…hurts." Face's breathing started to accelerate. "You okay…B.A?"

"We're fine. See this pretty lady here?" Hannibal asked.

"I…can't see…too good. But…what can see…looks good," Face smiled.

'Always the flirt," Maggie thought returning the smile. "Hi Face. My name is Maggie."

"H…hi, Maggie. You single?"

Maggie blushed and Hannibal chuckled. "Face, Maggie is a doctor. You hurt your head and neck pretty bad. She is going to perform a little operation so that you can heal properly. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Face replied.

Maggie took over and began to explain what was going to happen next, without going into too much detail. She thought it best to leave out how she was going to essentially drill into his skull. "I'm going to inject both sides of your head with something to numb the pain. You have to keep still…you should only feel a little pinch on each side."

Hannibal moved behind Face and held his head between his hands. "Just breathe kid…I'll be with you the entire time."

Maggie inserted the needles causing Face to hiss as the medication stung before it took some of the pain away. While waiting for the drugs to take effect she grabbed a small vial of clear liquid and began to draw the solution into syringes. When she was done she looked at her patient and asked, "You still with me, Face?" She had hoped he might pass out again by this part.

"Uh-huh," Face answered.

"This part is going to be a bit more uncomfortable. Just remember to breathe and I'll be as quick as possible. I'm going to inject some lidocaine into your scalp."

"Didn't you just do that?" Hannibal asked confused.

Maggie paused before speaking unsure how much she wanted to say in front of her patient. Luckily Face took the pressure off of her.

"S'okay. Want…to…know what's…gonna happen. In camps…never knew…that…worst…part."

Hannibal and Maggie exchanged a sad look before Maggie went on. "I'm going to inject the lidocaine directly into your scalp…four shots per side…around your ears. It's a highly sensitive area, but it will numb most of the scalp. This should make inserting the pins tolerable." She also figured the numbing effects would make it easier later when she examined the cuts made by B.A.'s rings…she didn't like how they looked. But that would have to wait.

"Pins?" Face paled. "Maybe…shouldn't…have told…me that." It was meant as a joke, but still there was a ring of truth to his words.

"Remember, kid, just try to stay still and breathe." Hannibal felt lightheaded himself as he saw Maggie pick up the syringe and noticed the thickness of the needle.

Maggie read the look on Hannibal's face and saw the color draining. "You okay, John?"

Hannibal cleared his throat and took a few deep breaths. "Fine…I'm fine. Sorry." He couldn't be weak now…Face needed him.

"You ready, Face?" Maggie asked.

"Prob'ly not," Face said. "But…do…it."

Maggie put the tip of the needle against Face's skin and took a calming breath. Although she had injected some lidocain at the injection site she was aware that it would only take a bit of the pain away. She began to push at an angle perpendicular to the skull aware that she had to avoid hitting the bone. She pushed the plunger and inserted some of the medicine then pushed the needle in more and did another injection followed by a final tiny push and injection.

Face groaned; the pain was indescribable. Needle after excruciating needle was inserted and repeatedly pushed in farther; it felt as if he were being jabbed directly into his skull. But he wouldn't allow himself to cry out; he had to be tough for Hannibal. Silent tears sprang to his eyes and began rolling down his cheeks.

Hannibal could see that Face was trying so hard to be strong, but Maggie was only half-way done with the injections. "You're doing great, kid. Don't hold it back…I know it hurts…you can let it out."

Having Hannibal's approval meant the world to this twenty year old version of Face, but he was still determined not to cave. However, as Maggie moved to the other side of his head, a few moans and whimpers managed to escape.

"There…all done," Maggie announced. "How're you doing, Face?" Even though she asked the question, she was pretty sure she didn't want to know the answer.

"Umgh." was all Face was able to produce as an answer. He was dizzy and feeling oddly numb. It felt as if his head had increased to about three times it's normal size.

"You shouldn't feel pain now, what's the problem."

Face tried to focus on the woman asking the question but his eyes kept rolling to the side. He tried to answer but was having a hard time thinking of what to say. It felt as if he was outside his body looking at the scene in front of him.

"That's normal with Face, he reacts that way to anesthetics and strong painkillers."

"Great, couldn't you have told me earlier?"

"You would still have needed to shot him up with it."

"But I would have reduced the dose. His circulation is out of whack; his heart rate is up while his pressure has dropped. He's close to passing out. Damn, I need to know such things. Any other medicine he has problems coping with."

"Umm, pretty much everything. He'll be dead to the world for a while and vomit when it starts to wear off. He has a problem with most antibiotics and is good at catching a maximum amount of side effects from almost everything. That's why he hate's medicine so much and usually fights it off, especially pain killers and sedatives."

"Oh great. Keep a close eye on his vitals, at least he's so out of it that he appears to have lost his fear."

Maggie picked up a scalpel and looked at her patient who was obviously trying to focus but it didn't work."Face, just keep your eyes closed, I'm going to make the incision now. You might feel some uncomfortable pressure or pulling but you won't feel pain. If something hurts tell me. Hannibal be ready, the scalp has a lot of blood, you need to wipe it away for me."

Maggie made the first cut and worked her way to the skull while Hannibal was busy wiping off blood. When she could see the bone she picked up the drill and quickly had the first pin set. She then moved on to the next one and the whole procedure was over in less than 10 minutes.

"Okay, now I'll fix the tongs to it." Again she got busy with her screwdriver. When she was done she attached a rope to the tongs and hung it over the headboard where a wheel had been set up to guide the rope. When she started hanging the weights on it Face moaned and grunted from time to time but that was all he did.

After hanging on about 22 pound Maggie made the next set of x rays.

"We're close, a bit more."

She hung up another two pounds and they heard a popping noise as the rope pulled tight. She made another set of x-rays and was satisfied with the result. Just as she put the tools away Face started to mumble.

"My head…what's that..coach, where's the coach? What did you do to me?"

"Calm down, Temp, the coach is right outside this room."

"I'm here Temp, I'll be with you as soon as the doc is finished," Murdock shouted from the other side of the door."

"But the game…coach…the game is not over. I can go out again, you need to be with the team."

"No, you've been out for a while, the game's over…we won Temp."

"Good."

"Congratulations then." Maggie drew a chair close. "Now let me look at your cuts."

"Cuts? Don't cut me again, Father…please." The voice had now turned childlike and small. "I'll be a good boy…really…I…" Face's eyes opened wide as if awakening from a terrible dream and just as quickly clamped shut; he was out cold.

Hannibal exhaled a breath he felt as if he had been holding for the entire process. "I don't ever want to go through that again."

"Imagine how Face feels…I'm sure he would agree." Maggie studied the cuts and frowned. "These show the beginning signs of infection and given what you told me about antibiotics I'm reluctant to introduce them into his system."

"Is that safe? How can he fight the infection?"

"I'll drain any of the infected areas and clean the wounds as best I can." Maggie crossed her fingers and added, "let's hope that does the trick."

Hannibal crossed his fingers as well. "But if it doesn't?"

"We wait for what he has in his system now to wear off and then give him the antibiotic."

Once Maggie had finished she checked on B.A. before joining Hannibal and Murdock who were seated at the table. "B.A.'s fever is down and his leg looks good. Face's vitals are stable and at least he will be comfortable for a few hours to come."

Murdock put his hands up to his head trying to imagine what it would be like to have pins in his head. "What happens when the drugs wear off?"

"He's going to be hurting badly and I'll offer whatever relief I can…but it all depends upon what state he is in when he wakes up. Now can somebody please tell how all of this happened?"

Hannibal filled Maggie in on the details as they ate a light meal. As they were finishing up B.A. began to moan. The trio moved to his bedside. The first words out of his mouth were a groggy, "how's the Faceman?"

"He's resting comfortably," Maggie said. "How do you feel, B.A.?"

"Okay...leg feels better."

"You should heal up nicely, but I want you to remain in that bed until I tell you that you can get up…got it?"

"Yes ma'am," B.A. said like a scolded school boy.

"Man…we need to keep you around more often, Maggie," Murdock grinned. "B.A. never listens to us."

"Shut-up, fool," B.A. mumbled. "I still ain't gonna listen to you." B.A. looked over at Face on the bed and saw the contraption hanging from his head. "What'd you do to him?"

Hannibal sat down carefully on the bed. "Face is in traction."

"Traction? Like they do for broken bones and stuff?"

"Sort of. Maggie had to help realign his neck and spine."

"Oh man," he said miserably.

Maggie sat down next to Hannibal. "It sounds worse than it is…he'll be okay." Maggie didn't like to lie to the big guy…it looked bad and it was. But at least she told the truth when she said he would be okay. With time she was sure his injuries would mend. The question was how long would it take and how difficult would it be on Face as well as the others?


	7. Chapter 7

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 7

It was pain that next brought Face back to reality, followed immediately by nausea. His head felt heavy as if it was being weighed down and as he opened his eyes he wondered where he was. The last thing he remembered was sitting in the van and B.A.'s fist being in front of his face.

'So he did it, after all the empty threats over the years it had to happen one day. Man, BA has a fist like iron, my head feels as if it's going to be ripped off my body. I don't think I ever had such a headache.'

He tried to look around and see where the others were and where he was but found that he couldn't move his neck without causing severe pain. Using only his eyes to look around he found the room empty. His heart rate sped up. 'They left me some place, they're all mad I screwed up, won't keep me around any longer, I'm too dangerous. All my fault, the only good friends I had in my life and I screwed it up. Shoulda cleaned the gun better, probably didn't oil it enough, my fault it jammed.'

He felt his heart hammer in his chest. 'Cool down Peck, BA said afterwards we'll be even. Maybe if I can find them and apologize…maybe they'll give me another chance. Have to get out of here and find them. Oww, boy does my head hurt.'

He raised his hands to try and rub some of the pain away and gasped in shock as one hand hit a bandage and the other something metal. He tried to get up but a strap over his chest held him down.

Hannibal heard the gasp from the bed in the far corner of the room and jumped to his feet. He was just in time to see Face's head and upper body come up a bit before being stopped by the strap Maggie had insisted to leave on to prevent abrupt movements. While he was now allowed to move his body as far as his condition allowed, abrupt movements could do a lot of harm. It was the weights attached to his skull that pulled Face's head back down on the mattress and he let out a piercing scream of pain.

Hannibal, Maggie and Murdock were by his side in an instant. Face's eyes were screwed tight because of the pain he felt and he jumped when Hannibal laid a hand on his arm.

"Face, calm down kid, you need to lay still."

"I'm….sorrrry…BA….please….what….owww." Tears were leaking out of his closed eyes and Maggie decided that no matter the side effects he needed more pain relief. She swabbed a patch of skin at his arm and he managed to open his eyes in time to see a syringe directed his way.

"No…no…what are you doing? Please…Hannibal, what's happening here?" He tried to pull his arm away but was stopped by Hannibal and Murdock.

"Hold still buddy, you don't need to be in all this pain."

"No..please…I don't want it…I can take the pain…please." But all of his pleading didn't help as Maggie inserted the needle and pressed down on the plunger.

"No…what did you do that for?"

It took a while for the drug to take effect and give Face some relief.

"Hannibal…I'm sorry…please, I didn't mean for BA to get hurt. I'll clean the gun better next time, I promise, please don't leave me here." It was all Face was able to say before he lost focus and it got hard to think.

"It's okay kid, it wasn't your fault, you cleaned the gun, such things just happen. No one's going to leave you anywhere."

"No….my….fault…..screwed….up." His speech was extremely slurred now and he couldn't focus at all.

"What's happening Face, talk to me please."

"It's okay Maggie, it's the pain killer you shot him up with. It's like that all the time. Anything different than a low dose of Tylenol or Aspirin and he's either high like a kite or dead to the world. In any case he'll be sick when it wears off. That's why he didn't want it, he hates to lose control."

"You…were wrong…Colonel."

"Why was I wrong kid?"

"BA…doesn't love…me…hates…"

"No Faceman, I don't hate you man, I love you like my brother."

Maggie turned around to see BA standing right behind her. "BA, do you want to give me a heart attack? I told you to stay in bed."

"How can I lie there when ma little brother screams in pain and thinks I hate him? I caused this after all."

"Why is it each of you stubborn men thinks he's at fault? Do you think he will feel better knowing that you hurt more just to stand at his bedside? What good does that do him?"

"B….A…." whatever Face had wanted to say they would never find out. He was out again.

"BA, back to bed. Murdock help him. John, help me with the x-ray machine, I want to make sure he hasn't dislocated anything again. Set it up while I check if the pins need tightening."

Luckily nothing was dislocated. Maggie only had to tighten the pins a bit and within a short time the three standing people decided to move the table and chairs closer to BA to keep him company and give Face some more quiet.

As they were sitting together everyone was lost in his thoughts. Eventually Murdock broke the silence.

"There's one thing that won't go out of my mind. When you said 'cuts' he said 'don't cut me again, father'. How can just the word trigger something like this, I mean how can his mind play tricks with him to the extent that he would believe father Maghill would cut him?"

"Maybe it wasn't Maghill he was thinking of?" Hannibal suggested.

"Plus in Face's state the mind has the ability to mix reality with fiction and to distort people and places," Maggie added. She had heard Face's various names and him make mention of "father", but she hadn't had the time to ask until now. "Why does Face have so many names?"

Hannibal ran a hand through his silver hair and rested it on the back of his neck for a moment before saying, "Face was raised in a Catholic orphanage."

Maggie's face fell. "Oh…wow." For some reason she hadn't been prepared to hear that. "But that doesn't explain why he would have more than one name."

It was Murdock's turn to weigh in on the situation. "Face doesn't like to talk about his childhood much…and when he does he usually tries to paint a pretty picture for us to see."

"And you don't believe this picture of his?" she asked.

"Nah…it's just jibber –jabber…ain't the truth," B.A. said.

Hannibal grinned at his sergeant's blunt way of expressing himself before sobering. "From what I have read in his military file and what I have put together through the years, he was left on the orphanage doorstep as a young child. There was a priest, Father Maghill, who he was very close to and who he still is in contact with. He was in and out of some foster homes, but never was adopted."

"How sad," Maggie lamented.

"When Face talks about the orphanage, which isn't often, he gets this look on his face," Hannibal said while gazing over at the subject of their discussion. "It's hard to explain…but it's obvious that he had a difficult childhood and that he is holding things inside him that we may never know."

"I would have never guessed any of this. Face comes across so put together…so confident." Maggie's heart ached thinking of what it must have been like.

"That why he the Faceman," B.A. said.

"I just assumed he got that name because he was so handsome," Maggie admitted, feeling herself blush for the second time since arriving on the scene.

"That's part of it," Murdock said. "But he also has the ability to make his face convey any mood or personality he wants it to. He can con the pants off of a dog."

B.A. snorted. "Dogs don't wear no pants, fool."

"Well obviously you haven't taken a good look at Billy lately, now have you?"

"Of course I haven't, crazy man. Billy ain't real, sucker!"

"Well I can tell you are feeling better," Murdock sighed. "You're back to being your good ol' angry mudsucker self."

Hannibal brought the conversation back on task. "I think because Face is such a good con artist, we forget sometimes that he has a painful history."

"Why don't you just talk to him about it?" Maggie questioned. Nobody answered; they just looked at her as if she had six heads. "You men drive me insane. You say that you don't know much about his childhood, but yet you won't ask him."

"Look, Mags, all due respect, but you don't know Face like we do," Hannibal said.

"And what does that mean?" Maggie would have to wait for the answer as a loud groan came from Face's direction.

Face had been awake for a while listening to them talk about him. It was uncomfortable hearing them discuss the orphanage but at least it distracted him from the pain for a while. But the longer he lay there the worse the pain seemed to get. Finally he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Kid, what's wrong? Look at me please."

Face had his eyes screwed shut. He was trying to fight the pain as well as the bile that was threatening to rise. Opening his eyes was the last thing on his to do list right now. Instead he opted for a verbal answer.

"I….I don't….feel…" It turned out to be the wrong move since he couldn't swallow down the bile and talk at the same time.

Hannibal saw the signs. "He's gonna be sick, Maggie. Okay kid, just like before, spit it out, I'll clean."

"Let's turn him on his side, he can move his neck or rather it can be moved now that the dislocation is gone …." But it was too late. Face started to heave and the convulsions of his body put pressure on his neck. He let out a scream that was somewhat muffled by the bile in his mouth and immediately went into a coughing fit that was intermixed with more heaves. He had sucked in some of the bile just before he screamed and his airways were trying to get rid of it now. Tears were streaming out from under closed eyelids.

"Damn, that's what I wanted to prevent. I've seen people get sick while in traction and know how painful it can be."

Eventually Face had his body back under control and was laying there panting.

"Where does it hurt most Face?"

"All…all over."

"Can you open your eyes for us?"

"Light…light hurts."

Hannibal was worried. "I thought people in traction are not feeling pain."

"That's right for people in traction with a painkiller in their system and without a concussion adding to the pain. Face's drug has worn off and I didn't want to add more to try and avoid the side effects but seeing as how he is I don't have a choice. He'll either be sick from the meds or from the pain. Sick without previous pain looks like the better option to me."

Nobody argued with that and she injected some medicine into Face's IV. "That's a different type. I hope it will make him stay more alert than the first one. If he has some more control over his mind it will be easier on him."

It took a while to take effect but finally Face's pain was reduced to a discomfort and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"How long have you been up kid?"

"Counter question…how did…Maggie know….of my many names?"

"You've been pretty out of it for a while and thought you were Holmes, Alvin and Temp."

"I did?" Face blushed; hopefully he had not let too many things slip. His past was something he didn't plan on sharing with anyone, let alone some doctor he barely knew. It disturbed him that the guys suspected he had a painful past.

"You don't remember it?"

"No….uhm…given that I don't remember…umm…is it okay to ask what is pulling at my head? I mean…I…you probably explained to me before ...but…"

"Shh kid, it's not a problem." Hannibal filled him in giving him a rough description. 'Oh kid, how can you be so insecure not even wanting to bother us with questions.'

The room was once again silent. Murdock decided to move back to BA while Maggie and Hannibal sat with Face.

"Is BA okay?"

"You can ask him, he's awake, just out of your line of vision."

"I'm fine Faceman, don't you worry 'bout nothin'."

"Face, the guys just told me you grew up in an orphanage. Wanna tell me about your childhood? I like to get to know my patients better."

Hannibal just glared at her with a look that said 'drop the subject.'

"Uhm…I really would like to chat some more with you but I'm feeling really tired, must be the meds. Maybe you start with getting to know BA instead. Besides I…ummm….I need to….you know….go."

Maggie glared back at Hannibal with a look that said, 'I'll drop it for now…but I will be bringing it up again later'. "Okay Face…you get some rest. Hannibal there's a bed pan over there that you can use."

"No…no way," Face protested.

"Kid, it's the only way. You have to remain laying down until you're out of traction and in your new brace." Hannibal smiled, "besides it's not like I haven't seen it before."

Face's previous blush darkened to a deep shade of red.

Hannibal cursed himself for being so glib. It was true they had all seen each other naked many times; in the Army you couldn't avoid it. But the last time he had to assist Face in doing his business had been in the camps. "I…I'm sorry, kid. Didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"No…it's okay. Let's just do it, okay?"

Once the task was completed Hannibal patted Face's shoulder and said, "Try to sleep, Face," before beginning to step away.

"Colonel?" Face called out.

Hannibal turned around. "Yeah, kid."

"Would you…um…could you…um…" Face stopped looking utterly embarrassed.

Hannibal grinned and returned to Face's bedside. "Do you want me to sit with you for a while?"

"Yeah…unless…you don't want to." Face's words were slurring and his eyes were glazing over as a result of the medication.

"Of course I want to," Hannibal said pulling a chair up right next to the bed.

Face felt himself floating. It was a detached feeling…almost an out of body experience. He heard himself talking, but he had no control over the words coming out of his mouth. "You know, Han'bal. I…I'm…not who…you think?"

Hannibal raised his eyebrows; Face almost sounded as if he were drunk. 'This could get interesting,' he thought. "Okay. If you're not who I think you are, then who are you?"

Face's eyes began to fill up. "I'm…I'm nobody."

Hannibal made sure to keep his tone light. "So, does that mean that I'm talking to myself here?"

"No…really. I…I...don't even…know who…I am."

Face's words were so raw and his emotions so uncharacteristically close to the surface that Hannibal felt a lump form in his own throat. "Hey now. I know who you are."

Face looked into Hannibal's eyes even though he seemed to have four of them at the moment. "Oh yeah? Please tell me, Han'bal…I need to know."

Face sounded so desperate…so lost. So much so that Hannibal found himself unable to speak for fear that he might say the wrong thing. He needed a few moments to figure out the right words to express just how special a man Face was to him…to all of them.

"Just as…I thought. See…I am…nobody." The dam broke and some tears began to spill over.

"Hey…no…," Hannibal quickly said, but time was out…and so was Face.

Hannibal sat by Face's side for hours hoping the young man would wake up so he could finish their conversation. He kept hearing Face say, 'See…I am…nobody,' and he saw the tears on his cheeks. But whatever Maggie had given him combined with physical and mental exhaustion kept Face unconscious for the remainder of the evening and into the morning.

The halo vest was ready and Murdock was sent out to pick it up. Maggie was preparing what she would need to fit it on him when Face woke up. One look at his eyes and it was clear that the pain medication had worn off while the side effects Hannibal had cautioned against were present.

"Hey there, Face," Maggie said gently. "You've been out for a long time. You doing okay?"

"I'm…okay." He wasn't. "Maggie…did Hannibal leave yet?"

Maggie's eyes opened with surprise; why would he ask that. "Of course not, honey. He's right over there with B.A. Hold on…I'll get him."

"Wait…no…don't."

The room was long and narrow and while the others were out of his line of vision most of the time, they were not out of earshot.

"Hey kid, why do you think I left, do you need me to get you something?"

"No…I…I just…"

"Good, because I would rather stay here with you."

"You…you would? Really?" Face eyes were huge and he looked at Hannibal as if he had said the most unbelievable thing possible.

Hannibal's heart ached for his boy. Of course he knew what this was about, had experienced it too often before. The meds had made Face say something he would never have said in his right mind and now he feared rejection, or rather was so sure to be rejected that anything else was a shock. He reached out to stroke his hair but changed his mind and lightly stroked his cheek. Face had not noticed the short hair yet and Hannibal didn't want to tip him off. "But sure I want to stay with you Face. You know I would never leave you."

Face was fighting the dizziness and the nausea with pain evident in his features. His complexion was a mixture of grey and green with green getting the upper hand. He reached out for Hannibal's hand and managed to croak out a "thanks."

Hannibal could tell that the fight would not last for long. He had gotten a spitting bowl ready while Face was still sleeping. Face painfully retched up a little bile and Hannibal cleaned it away. Maggie stepped away to allow them a little privacy. By now they had become accustomed to the routine. Face was totally spent by the time they were done. His face was tear streaked and Hannibal wiped them away.

It took a while until Face had himself under control again.

"Face, the good news for today is that your halo vest is ready. That means you get some more freedom and are not confined to the bed anymore."

"And the bad news?"

She smiled at him, "No bad news for a change. I'll only have to fit it on you and fix the halo ring…."

"Wow Face, who woulda thought. I know you are catholic but your own halo ring…."

"Shut up fool, does this look like fun to wear? How's it fixed Maggie?"

"With four pins in the skull."

Face paled even more. "The pins you were talking of earlier, the ones already in my skull, right?"

"Well, two of them are already in, yes. I just need to add two in your forehead, right over the orbital bridge."

"No way…that's what you call no bad news?"

"Sorry Face, I've been thinking of how to spare you since you anyway have to lay down most of the time with your concussion and you also need to wear it only for a relatively short time of approximately two weeks…"

"I wouldn't call that short. From what I can see it looks like a torture device."

"Sorry Face, but it really isn't as bad as it looks. With a fracture you would have to wear it for three months."

"Yeah, lucky me, somehow the thought of getting pins in my forehead is not very consoling."

"Sorry, it needs to be fixed properly in order to work and I couldn't think of any other possibility."

"Let me have a look mama."

Maggie looked doubtful at BA but Hannibal intervened. "If there's a way to fix it BA will find it Maggie, he can fix anything mechanic."

"Okay then." She handed the device to BA. "John, can you help me get something from the car in the mean time?"

"Sure, just a minute kid."

As soon as they were outside Maggie turned to Hannibal. "You had the perfect opening to ask him why he thinks you would leave but you gave him the perfect excuse to drop the topic. How do you want him to get those things off his mind?"

"Look Maggie, you're the one who should drop this topic. Face is insecure, we know that, he hadn't had it easy in his past, we figured that out too, but you know him for three days and we for about 13 years. We worked hard to get him to trust us as far as he does today. If you put pressure on him he'll close up and we have a set back and I won't risk that. The only times we get to know things is when he's sick and out of his mind with drugs or fever or pain or a combination thereof and in those situations we can put a little pressure on him but we have to weigh what he can take and what not. Please drop that topic."

"I still think it's important for him to open up."

"Will you drop the topic?"

"Let's see what BA found out."

With that she turned and went back inside without giving Hannibal the opportunity to go on.

"BA, found something?"

"Yeah, look here. If you fix it with the two pins that are already there and we replace the front ones with pieces of plastic that are shaped to fit to his forehead, with the broad part up so the ring wouldn't move down. They can be fixed to the ring with pins and springs to have enough pressure to hold them in place. Then a broad velcro strap that is fixed to the ring and closes under his chin will prevent any upward movement."

"Hmm, sounds good but the velco strap would have to be a sturdy one, or maybe attached to a strip of plastic, he'll still be in traction through the upright posts and if it's too lose it won't work."

"No problem. What you standin' around fool? You heard me. Get going and get me the materials, the Faceman wants out of this bed sometime soon."

Face had his eyes closed and was trying to breathe through the pain.

"Face honey, what's it?"

"Head hurts."

"Your neck or your head?"

"Headache…Temple throbs."

"Hmm, it's the concussion and the cuts. Want some pain relief?"

"No."

"Maybe distraction will work. What about you tell me a bit about yourself?"

"Not...not much to tell," he said, hoping she would change the subject.

"I'm sure that's not true. Living in an orphanage, I'm sure you have lots of stories to tell."

'But not many I want to share,' Face thought. "It was cool...always had lots of kids to play with."

Maggie saw the look that Hannibal had been talking about come over his face. "What else?"

The conversation was doing nothing for Face's headache and was now making his stomach hurt as well. "The normal kid stuff, I guess. I don't know...it was fine."

"Fine? It must have been hard at times," Maggie suggested, wanting to dig deeper.

"Sure," Face admitted. "But what childhood isn't?"

Maggie smiled. "You have a point there. However, most kids have parents and family to help them through those times."

If Face's head wasn't weighted down it just might have started spinning; he wasn't expecting her to go there. "I...um...I had...Father Maghill."

"Tell me about him," Maggie encouraged.

"He took care of me...practically raised me when my..." Face's voice cracked, "...when my parents...left me."

Maggie wanted to ask him more about his parents, but decided it safer to talk about the priest first. "He sounds like a special man."

"Like a father to me...no pun intended." A genuine smile came to his lips at the thought of the kindly old man.

Maggie saw the grin and figured it was a good time to go deeper. "And what about the other priests?"

The smile vanished. "They were fine...everything was fine. Please Maggie...my head really hurts and..."

Maggie cut him off. "Face, you need to talk about these things. Maybe your head would hurt less if you cleared away some of the clutter."

Hannibal had been busy talking with B.A. about his plans for the brace on the other side of the room and hadn't been paying attention to the dialogue between Maggie and Face. But his attention was pulled to the duo when he detected the desperate sound of Face's voice followed by Maggie's comments. He strode quickly across the floor. "His head would hurt less if B.A.'s fist hadn't put a dent in it and if pins hadn't been screwed into each side," he tried to say jokingly. "I'd say that's bound to give any man a headache." Inside his blood was boiling.

Face was sweating and breathing hard; he didn't like to think about the past and he certainly didn't like talking about it. His heart was pounding and the room was spinning. He thought he should say something about that, but Hannibal and Maggie had stepped aside and were too busy talking.

"John, I'm just trying to help," Maggie said defensively.

"I know you are, but now is not the time. I warned you..."

"You warned me, but all I'm doing is talking to him."

Hannibal sighed in frustration. "It's not that simple."

It was Maggie's turn to sigh. "Only because you men complicate things."

"Our lives are complicated...we don't have to do anything in that department."

Face was getting scared. He couldn't catch his breath and it felt like there was an elephant on his chest. 'Help me,' he thought, but was unable to utter a sound.

B.A. had heard Hannibal say that Face's head hurt because his fist had put a dent in it and though he knew the colonel meant no harm, it still stung. But there was no time to worry about himself as he could see Face was in trouble. "Faceman...you alright?" he asked loudly hoping to alert the doctor.

It worked and Maggie hurried back to the bed. "Face...can you hear me?

But Face couldn't hear her...he couldn't hear anything. He only felt pain; he thought he might be dying.


	8. Chapter 8

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 8

"Maggie? What's wrong with him?" Hannibal asked in a panic.

"Not sure," she said while frantically taking his heart rate and blood pressure. "I think he's having a panic attack...we need to calm him down...and fast!"

"Face, listen to me please, everything is alright, you're safe, Hannibal is right here, I'm here too."

'That's sure going to do a lot of good for somebody who can't even hear you, Mags.' Hannibal gently shoved her away. "Let me, he's not too familiar with you." 'Plus you're the one who caused this.' Hannibal crouched beside Face's bed, rubbed one hand over his arm and one over his forehead and cheek and talked in a loud but consoling voice to him. "Face, calm down lieutenant…take slow deep breaths. We're all here with you kid. You're safe, nobody can harm you here." He repeated the words but Face didn't seem to calm at all.

He could smell Hannibal, the cigars and his aftershave and all those unique scents of a person. He felt the reassuring touch and he heard something. He could not make out words but it was a calming pattern and he recognized the voice: Hannibal. His breathing slowed a little and he wasn't feeling like suffocating as much as before but then in a flash he saw the priest with the razor knife in his hand standing over him and threatening.

"No father…please don't cut me again…I'll be a good boy."

"Damn, he's having a flashback. BA!"Hannibal shoved Maggie nonchalantly out of the way and instructed BA who just came limping over to close the foldable door.

"Face, kid, it's just a dream, it's not real, look at me, please kid, focus on me. There's nothing to be scared of here."

BA was sitting in a chair next to Face and was rubbing his legs to provide comfort and show him he wasn't alone. Slowly Face's eyes focused on Hannibal. "Who…who are you…where….where am I?" Little Alvin was back once more.

"Shh kid, all is well, don't worry. We're friends, Father Maghill asked us to take care of you for a while."

Face's eyes or rather the boy's eyes lit up a little. "Father Maghill? Is he coming to take me back?"

"He'll be here soon kid."

His eyes darted left and right frantically. "We're not at the church anymore, are we? He's not here?"

The scared way those eyes looked, Hannibal knew he wasn't talking of Father Maghill. "No, we're not at the church anymore, you're safe here. Try to sleep some before Father Maghill arrives."

"Kay." Face's eyes drifted shut and Hannibal jumped up to go to Maggie.

"Just what did you say to him?"

"The normal childhood questions, about his orphanage and how it was to grow up without parents and…"

"Oh, of all the stupid comments to make."

"He's commin' around Hannibal."

Murdock came in just in time to hear BA's statement and see Hannibal vanish behind the foldable door. He dropped all his supplies and ran over fearing for Face's wellbeing.

Upon waking up Face was still panicking, but at least he was back in the present time. "I'm…s…sorry," he gasped, still trying to get air in and out properly. "Tell Maggie…sorry…don't…no can't…talk 'bout it."

"Don't talk, kid. Just breathe…just breathe."

Face had no choice but to follow Hannibal's order as his chest was heaving; his lungs burning.

"What's going on?" Murdock asked B.A. quietly.

"The doc tried to get Faceman to open up and he started freakin' out."

"Oh no," Murdock groaned looking over in Maggie's direction. She was standing just outside the foldable door looking horrified. "I'll be back in a sec," he said before getting up and walking in her direction.

"Murdock, what have I done?" Maggie asked with tears in her eyes.

"That's still yet to be determined, but if anybody can get through to the Faceman, it's Hannibal. He's done it more times than I care to remember."

"I should have listened to you all, but I was just too stubborn."

Murdock put an arm around Maggie's shoulder. "It's alright, Chiquita. You were only trying to help…and you've done so much for us already."

"I only wanted him to talk…to let his feelings out."

"We've been trying to get him to do that for over a decade. Trust me, it's not an easy task. But Face knows we are here for him if and when he wants to talk."

"Does he ever?"

"Sometimes…but not nearly enough." Murdock paused and readjusted his cap. "When it comes to Face we don't push; it only causes him to shut down more."

"I see that now." Maggie bit at her lip. "Hannibal must really hate me now."

"No way!" Murdock countered. Wiggling his eyebrows he added, "I think he's sweet on you."

Maggie's heart did a flip-flop; she felt herself falling for the handsome colonel as well. "Yeah…um…well…not anymore."

"Hannibal will cool off…it's just that he's real protective of us. And especially of the Faceman." Murdock gave her shoulder another squeeze before letting go. "I better get back."

"Thanks Murdock," she smiled. "You're the sanest crazy man I ever met."

"You know, the voices in my head tell me that all the time," he said with a wink.

Face felt himself calming down; his friends were with him and he was safe. Hannibal was holding his hand while B.A. was still rubbing his legs. Once Murdock joined the group taking hold of Face's other hand, the unit was back together and Face let his eyes close as they took turns speaking to him softly.

Face could have stayed there for hours just listening to their voices, but he was aware that they still had to get him out of traction and into the halo vest. And the sooner they did so the better for his healing. He opened his eyes and said softly, "Can you get Maggie?"

"What's wrong? You feeling sick again?" Hannibal asked anxiously.

"No…I want out of this crazy contraption and into the next one." Face was scared about what was to come; there were many thoughts and questions floating around his already battered brain. How much would it hurt coming out of traction? How would his body react to being vertical again?

"You'll have to wait until BA has finished modeling those plastic parts to save you the pins in your forehead."

"Yeah man, it's gonna take me some time, it has to fit perfectly or it may move out of place."

"That's okay if I don't need the pins, just hurry up please, I really want out of this position. I'm tired of looking at this ceiling."

"You got it man. Fool, fold back this door and get the table, the materials and my tools over here. I need to do it here, Faceman, to fit it to your forehead."

" 'kay" Face was still groggy from the concussion and the drugs and didn't feel fully connected to what was going on around him but he knew one thing, he needed to move. He was anxious and his whole body itched in need to move. He had already used his legs to kick off the blanket because he felt like it was suffocating him but he still needed to move. He settled for moving his arms around.

"How am I supposed to work if you're fidgetin' all the time? Just hold still man."

"I've been holding still for long enough. I never even touched you." Face was surprised at his angry tone. Did he have a death wish? It wasn't advisable to talk to BA in this tone, let alone in his position. If he got BA angry he would stop working and Face was in for pins in his forehead. "Sorry."

"Nah man, s'okay. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes." BA too was wondering why Face was behaving like this, he didn't seem like himself, but then again BA was feeling too guilty to complain.

Hannibal and Murdock moved everything in position and BA got to work. As BA was measuring something Face's hands came up again.

"I can help you. I can keep my hair out of my forehead so you can work without it disturbing."

BA caught his wrists and put them back down. "Nah, just keep your hands away from your head before you disturb the stitches or the pins and Maggie has to set it all again." Face had been so out of it that up to now he had noticed that his hair had been cut and partially shaved. BA did not need that to happen on his watch.

The mere thought of Maggie having to set up more pins let Face keep his hands flat on the sheets beside his body. Though he couldn't remember any of the earlier process he sure did not want the experience.

Hannibal saw that he wasn't needed and he stepped outside for a much needed cigar. After a few minutes Maggie joined him.

"John?"

"What?" he was still pissed at her.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, lot of good that does afterwards. The kid has enough things to battle right now without adding to it."

"I know and I should have listened but I guess I'm just too used to overprotective parents that think they know better than the doctor. Sorry."

She had something about her that made it impossible for Hannibal to stay mad for long. "I can guess it's sometimes not easy being a doctor in a small town."

"Yeah, I know all the families from grandparents to kids. But still, you and your boys are different. I should have listened and now Face is suffering the consequences."

"We're a special family. As they say, single parents, especially single fathers tend to behave like mother hens. I hope to keep in touch with you and then with time you'll get to know Face better and maybe understand why we behave that way towards him. He's…he's just very different from any other man I know, and he means a lot to us."

"Special is the understatement of the day. I guess it's not easy being the father of this crowd. Uhmm, I hope you didn't mean the keep in touch part for only medical reasons."

Hannibal drew her into an embrace, their faces just inches apart. "That depends on how you define medical reasons."

Just as he was leaning in for the kiss the door opened and Murdock came out. "Colonel, BA threw me out of the room, just because I suggested he should add some Captain Belly Buster wings to the halo ring and a star on top."

Hannibal reluctantly let go off Maggie who wasn't able to hide her grin. "It is indeed a difficult task, but I love them." He mimicked the voice of an elderly woman and added "Isn't it, HM?" while ruffling through his hair.

"Huh? Colonel, did you listen to me?"

"Maggie, can we move Face when he's in the new brace? We've been in this place for too long and my kids need more space to play."

Maggie didn't have a chance to answer as the sound of B.A. yelling sent them running. "Hey man...relax. You gonna hurt yourself."

They got inside just in time to hear Face retort, "More than you hurt me...not likely."

"What's going on in here?" Hannibal questioned.

"I was just tryin' to measure this against Faceman's head and he went crazy swattin' me away with his hands."

"I went crazy?" Face asked angrily. "Sorry...there is only room for one crazy person on this team." It was a common joke among the team, but the bitter tone with which he said it made Murdock look away and the rest of them cringe.

Hannibal took a deep breath and said as calmly as he could, "I know you're hurting, Face, and that this has been hard on you."

Face just glared. "Colonel...you don't know anything. You pretend that you know it all and for some godforsaken reason we all go along with your crap."

"Face, that's enough," Murdock said softly.

"No...I don't think it is. I'm just getting started." Face was turning bright red and had started to sweat fiercely.

"You need to calm down, Faceman."

"Or what?" Face challenged. "You gonna hit me again? I don't need to calm down...what I need is for you all to stop telling me to what to do. What I need is to get out of this damn bed. What I need is..." Face put his hands up to his head. "What I need is..." He was starting to slow down like a wind-up toy. "I need...oh God...my head."

Maggie stepped away from the group and went for her medical bag while the others huddled by their trembling teammate. The hands by his head were shaking so badly that Hannibal took hold of them to make sure he didn't injure himself, while B.A. and Murdock each took a leg to prevent him from kicking out whether it be in pain or in anger. Nobody spoke; they just held onto him supporting him through their actions rather than their words.

Maggie returned and pulled a cold compress out of her bag. She cracked and shook it to activate the ingredients and began trying to get through to her agonized patient. "Face, I'm going to place something cold on your forehead."

The extreme cold of the compress against the white hot pain raging across his head at first seemed to intensify the pain more and he groaned and struggled against his friends to get away from the awful sensation. Gradually, however, the pain seemed to lessen and the cold began to feel soothing.

Maggie had been monitoring Face's heart rate and blood pressure and was relieved to see that they were at last dropping down into a somewhat normal range. "Tell me what you're feeling."

Face's eyes were closed, partly because his head still ached and the light made it worse, but also because he didn't want to look at the others. "Head...hurts. Feel dizzy...little nauseaous."

"It's the concussion, Face...you're going to be okay."

"Am I?" he asked disbelieving.

"The pain will go away...it's just going to take some time."

"Hope so," he said, voice wavering. "Can't...can't take...much more...of this."

Face forced his eyes open. "I'm...so...so...sorry. Didn't mean what...what I said. Just...just came...out. Please forgive me."

"Nothing to forgive, buddy," Murdock smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, man. Plus, I had some of that comin'."

"No...no, B.A. Not your fault."

Hannibal was still holding Face's hand and he gave it a small squeeze. "Nobody is angry with you, kid. Maggie told us that this kind of thing is normal...we understand, really we do."

"It's just...it's just that...that I feel...so...so ..bad." Face had gone from one end of the spectrum to the other. His anger was being replaced by a feeling of desperation and sadness.

"Let's see if we can help you feel better by getting you out of traction now, okay?" Maggie asked.

"Okay," Face agreed, but he wasn't sure he was mentally prepared to handle what was coming.

"BA, how much longer do you need?"

"Maybe 30 minutes."

"Alright, then we can start preparing you. Hannibal, give him a thorough sponge bath. That will be the last one until the vest comes off again, at least for those parts of you covered by it."

"What? Come on doc, it's summer. Show some mercy. The military can catch us by my smell."

"You can wash with a rag drenched in alcohol under the vest but careful and only one buckle coming off at a time."

"Oh, that's just great. I'll smell like a dirty drunk."

"You'll live, kid."

"The inside of the vest is padded with sheep wool and can't be made wet, alcohol evaporates."

"How's the vest cleaned?"

"Not at all."

"Just great. Get the gas masks ready."

"Don't worry muchacho, we only have to move to a place with a porch then we can sit you outside, you'll have the best ventilated place ever."

"Shut up fool, sheep wool don't smell."

"Oh yeah? Then why do sheep's smell?"

Face just groaned.

"Faceman ain't no sheep and now shut up fool before I do it."

"Face will be a wolf in sheep's clothing, hey it fits for a con man."

"Murdock, go get me some bowls of water, washcloths and a towel." Hannibal wanted to avert the next crisis. It seemed Face had stopped skipping back and forth in age only to replace it with mood swings. No telling how he would take Murdock's antics."

A short while later they were set for the transfer. "Face, I'll give you something for the pain now." Maggie reached for the IV port but Face pulled his arm away.

"No."

"Face, your head is hurting bad as it is, the little movements and the pressure of the halo will be hell on you."

"I said no, I don't want to be drugged."

"Hey muchacho, now's the time for painkillers, before the side effects kick in you'll be able to sit up. It's way easier to puke when sitting up than lying on your back."

"Murdock, knock it off. Kid, it's for the best, you don't need to be in pain." Hannibal tried to get Face to take something knowing full well that chances were slim but he just couldn't stand the idea of him hurting unnecessary.

"No, I'll lose control over myself. Look at how well it turned out last time."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll talk nonsense." Meaning he would say things he never wanted the others to find out about.

"Face, I'm your doctor and I'm telling you it's really better…"

"Maggie, just leave it." Hannibal knew when a battle was lost. "We'll be here for you, kid."

"Okay, then let's get started. I'll first slide the back of the vest under your body, then fix the front on it."

She was right, the little jolts were pure hell, not so much from the contraption on his head as from the raging headache he had due to the concussion. The worst part seemed to be under the bandage that he had plastered over is temple. He didn't really know what was under but had felt a bandage there before BA had caught his hands. That area was throbbing like hell. The painkiller was tempting but he was afraid to let more things from his past slip that he would later on regret; he couldn't lose his team and they were already suspecting that he was damaged goods.

When the vest was on he felt like throwing up and nobody had even touched his head yet. The four posts were then fixed to the shoulders of the vest and the height fitted to the current position of his head so that the traction would remain and then came the halo ring.

"Face, I'm now going to remove the weights. John, I need you to move behind his head and hold it in your hands in exactly the same position it has now."

Hannibal's hands were warm and it felt as if they were burning him. He felt the bile rise and his head spin and there was nothing he could do. "Stop, gonna…"

"Oh no, hold his head steady." Maggie quickly replaced the weights so that Face's head would be stable while he retched up some bile. He almost passed out from the pain shooting through his skull with every heave. When he was done he was sweet soaked and pale.

"Do you want the painkiller now?"

"No, just go on."

Maggie looked at Hannibal questioning him with her eyes and then removed the weights for the second time. Hannibal could feel Face trembling as he held his head in his hands and sure enough, by the time Maggie had the tongs removed his eyes rolled back and he was out.

"Let's hurry and finish up while he's still out," Maggie said. It wasn't long before she was satisfied that Face was properly situated inside the apparatus.

"Okay, Mags, what do we need to know for when we move out tomorrow?" Hannibal asked.

"Whoa, John, hold on. I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not? I thought this halo thing was supposed to make it so Face could move around?"

"Yes, but…"

"But we've been in one place for too long…we're pushing our luck. I really think we need to move to a new location as soon as possible."

Maggie smiled and nodded. "Okay…I don't see any reason why not. Ideally I would have liked him to have a couple of days to adjust, but maybe it would be good for him to have a change of scenery."

"We'll take care of him, mama," B.A. assured her.

"Wait…," she protested.

"You're not coming," Hannibal said. "You have patients you need to get back to and it will look too suspicious if you go missing for long."

"I can take you back early tomorrow," Murdock volunteered.

Maggie wasn't happy, but she knew it wasn't worth trying to convince the group otherwise. "Okay, but if you need me I'll only be a phone call away. Also, you can't move that far as I'll need to assess Face in a couple of weeks to determine if it's okay to remove the vest."

"Deal," Hannibal smiled. "Now, fill us in doc."

"Balance will probably be one of the biggest issues Face will have. In addition to the concussion throwing him off, he will now have the halo adding additional weight and making him feel top heavy. He may need assistance with normal everyday activities, such as getting in and out of the van and getting dressed, until he has some practice."

Hannibal, B.A. and Murdock were staring so intently at Maggie and hanging on her every word that she stopped for a moment and asked, "What, do I have something in my teeth?" she joked.

"Sorry, we just want to make sure we know how to take care of Face." Hannibal said. "And you're teeth look perfect to me." 'As does everything else,' he thought.

Maggie showed off those perfect teeth with a wide smile before continuing. "It's normal for halo patients to sleep for longer periods. Although Face is seeping quite a lot already due to his condition, he may tire quickly due to the extra energy required to move about with the added weight. He may find it difficult getting comfortable so I recommend using pillows behind his back and behind his knees. You can put a rolled towel behind his neck so he doesn't feel as if his head is floating in space."

"Is there anything we need to look out for that might mean something is wrong?"

"Excellent question, Murdock. I want you to keep a close monitor on his two pins. It's not unusual for there to be some discomfort when he's chewing, sneezing or yawning for example. But if it really starts to hurt him or if you notice any fluid discharge, he may be developing an infection."

"Anythin' else?" B.A. asked.

"Yes. Remember what I told you about postconcussive syndrome and the possible personality changes. Remember, it's important that you are patient and remember that he is sick and probably in a great amount of discomfort…physical as well as mental."

The three team members tried to appear confident on the outside, but internally they were all scared to death about what was heading their way.

B.A. was ordered to put his leg up and rest while the others packed the van and prepared for the following day's departure. "I'm stayin' right here with the Faceman," he insisted to which Murdock helped him prop his leg up on a pillow covered chair.

Once they were alone in the room B.A. began talking out loud and telling Face all the things he probably wouldn't have the guts to say in front of the others, including a conscious Face. "I'm really sorry, man, for hurtin' ya like I did. I know you keep sayin' that it ain't my fault, but deep down I know it is. I was treatin' you like crap and it wasn't fair. You know how I feel about'cha, right? You like my brother…even though you a white boy and a preppy one at that."

Face could hear a voice talking to him, but he couldn't make quite make out who it was or the words being said. But there was something familiar and comforting about the voice so he allowed himself to linger on the brink of awareness without pushing himself out of the haze.

"When I first met you, man, you was a piece of work. Was sure you was from some rich family and that you had a life I could only dreamed of. When I found out that you was an orphan, I couldn't believe it. And when I got to know you and what a good guy you was, it made me want to be your friend. I guess I felt protective of you…still do man. I just want to help protect you and keep you safe."

Face finally recognized the voice as B.A.'s and slowly the sounds started to come together to form actual words. He heard B.A. say, 'I just want to protect you and keep you safe', as his eyelids fluttered open.

"Hey, man," B.A. smiled, glad that his friend was awake but nervous about just how much he had heard. "How ya feelin'?"

"Not so bad, he rasped. "Better than before."

"Good…that real good. Maybe you was smart not takin' them pain pills or you'd be feelin' a lot worse."

"Yeah, don't…I know…it." But he would be lying if he said it hadn't hurt…it was brutal. And now, there was still pain, but at least there wasn't sickness on top of it. "B.A.?"

"Yeah, man?"

"You do protect me, you know; you have since Nam."

B.A. felt the heat rise in his cheeks. "How much did you hear?"

"Just that you wanted to protect me and keep me safe."

B.A. nodded not quite sure what he should say at this point, or what he could say without getting emotional.

"You remember in Nam that time when I came crawling back to the barracks on my hands and knees…"

B.A. interrupted," you mean the time you was beaten' so bad you couldn't even stand up?"

"Uh-huh. You remember what you did when you found out how it happened?"

"I sure do, man…I sure do. But you didn't wanna tell me…it was only when I heard them fools laughing about how they got their training that day by kickin' the livin' daylights outta you."

"I was lucky they didn't do anything more than that."

B.A. shook his head. "Nah…they was the lucky ones, 'cause if they had I woulda tore their heads off."

Face smiled. "From what I hear, you came close."

Both men were silent for a few moments as they thought back to the events of that day. Face had been leaving the mess tent when he felt a hand clamp over his mouth and an arm around his waist pulled him away. He was dragged away behind the showers that were usually empty at this time of day and gagged with some oily rag someone had dropped. Two of his opponents held him by his arms while he stood facing the other three. All were in plain navy t-shirts without an indication of name or rank and it wouldn't be until two more encounters with them that he would get to know that the leaders name is Lynch. He would never forget the smug smile on the bastards face.

'Well, well, whom do we have here? If this is not Smith's latest addition, a pretty boy. Were you brought on so crazy and muscle have a toy to play with? Or are you the colonel's private toy? What's it pretty boy, cat got your tongue? Oh sorry, you're gagged, anyway I don't really care about the answer."

'I sure knew what to play with him' some guy from behind him said but the leader cut him off by saying beatings happened every day, anything more the army would investigate into and they couldn't have that

That was all the conversation before they started to beat and kick him until he didn't move again. When he woke up he crawled over to the barracks where BA found him and took him into the infirmary. Murdock was away flying troops in and out and Hannibal had gone to Saigon to meet up with some top brass and discuss some mission so BA waited with Face until the doctors had time to tend to him. He had a concussion, several cracked ribs and was bruised all over. BA sat with him until the evening and then decided to check if he could find some supper. That's where he overheard the three drunk guys bragging about how they beat up Smith's pretty boy. Before BA pounded the last one into unconsciousness he asked them if there were more men involved but they denied.

When Hannibal returned to the base the next morning Murdock had just left the base again to fly some teams out. A corporal came to greet him and informed him that his sergeant was in the stockade and his lieutenant in the infirmary. He was pissed; those two could not be left alone for a day without getting into trouble. He was tempted to leave them be until he got some coffee and a shower but then decided that chewing them out would be as refreshing. His plan was to get to the stockade, collect BA, take him to the infirmary and then let the two have it. However, as BA told him what happened, his plans quickly changed and the two hurried over to the infirmary to check on Face.

"Guys were lucky the MP's came. I was prepared to wait 'till they wake up and give them round two."

BA never found out that they were Lynch's men and more than those three were involved. He also never found out that two months later they happened to be at the same base again and claimed that because BA had beat them up they had to pay back to Face. He also didn't know that by far it wasn't the last time and Face wanted to keep it this way.

Face's Temple throbbed more and more but he didn't want to tell BA. The big guy was feeling guilty as it was and Face didn't want to add to it. He decided to tell Maggie later on.

Soon enough Maggie came with Hannibal and Murdock in tow to inform him that they were all set to leave the next day. That was the first thing Face heard of their plans. Now what? If he told Maggie that his temple was worse he could spoil their plans of moving and they had been at one place for too long already. He decided that he could always tell her when they reached the new location.

Face barely slept at all during the night. Between the constant pounding of his head and the discomfort of the halo vest he lie there miserable with nothing to do but listen to the soft sounds of his friends breathing. At one point he considered trying to get up and go outside for some air. One attempt at moving to a sitting position sent stars before his eyes and shooting pain to his temple. He bit his lip and stifled a groan; it was obvious that he wasn't going anywhere on his own yet.

The night dragged on at a snail's pace. The pain was becoming unbearable to the point that his teeth and jaw hurt from clenching down so tightly. He was about to wake Maggie and go back on his earlier decision to wait until they had moved on when he saw the sun beginning to rise. 'You can do this...just hold on...don't slow the team down,' he ordered himself.

One by one the others woke, but he kept his eyes shut not wanting to risk them asking him how he was feeling. Of course, he could lie, but how convincing he would be at the moment was questionable.

They moved around as quietly as possible not speaking to allow Face his rest. Hannibal motioned for Maggie to follow him outside. "It looks like we are all set here. Murdock will take you back in the rented car while we take the van. We aren't going to leave until Face wakes up."

"I wanted to check Face over once more before going," Maggie said. "But he made it through the night fine, so let him rest."

Hannibal pulled Maggie into a tight embrace. "I don't know how I can ever thank you."

Maggie squeezed him back. "I can think of a way," she teased.

Hannibal laughed pulling away. "Next time I see you I'll let you tell me all about it."

"You're on, John Smith...it's a date."

They were in each others arms again as Murdock came out the door. "Ah...young love! Such a beautiful thing!"

It was Maggie's turn to pull away. "Murdock! I wouldn't exactly call either of us young."

"Speak for yourself, sweetheart," Hannibal winked.

"You all ready to go, Mags?"

"No," she answered truthfully "But I guess it's time."

"Call the van later and we'll tell you where to meet us."

"Yes, sir," Murdock said with a salute.

Murdock opened the car door to let Maggie in while Hannibal put her bags in the back seat.

"Oh and Murdock,"

"Yeah, colonel?"

"Be careful...you have precious cargo on board."

Murdock put his hand over his heart. "Why colonel, I didn't know you thought so much of me," he laughed.

Hannibal shook his head with a grin. "Get out of here, would ya?"

Back inside B.A. moved a bit too quickly and cursed, "damn!," as he felt a twinge in his thigh.

Face's eyes flew open in worry. "You okay, B.A.?"

"Yeah, man, just stepped wrong," he limped over to the bed. "Oh man...I didn't mean to wake ya!"

Face was about to answer when the door opened and in walked Hannibal. "Hey, kid...you're up! You just missed Maggie."

'Missed Maggie?' Face thought. 'Uh-oh...didn't hear that part of the plan.'

"How you feeling, kid?"

Still trying to put up a front he joked, "like somebody who isn't going to win any best dressed awards."

Hannibal was glad to hear him kidding around. "At least nobody will be wearing the same outfit,"

'I just wish that nobody was me,' Face wanted to say, but instead just forced on a smile.

"The van's all packed...what do you say we blow this joint?" Hannibal asked. It was a task that would prove easier said than done.

"Sure, can't wait to get out of here."

"Glad to hear that, kid. Maggie was pleased with you, said it could have been expected for you to have some trouble sleeping in the first days but you slept like a rock. We've been up for hours but you never woke up. She instructed to first get some pillows behind your back to raise you some, then bring you into a sitting position and finally, when you feel up to, get you on your feet."

'Uh-oh, pretended to sleep like a rock is more like it and I hope you'll never find out or I'll be in trouble.' Out loud he said, "Sure Colonel, let's get started." Even talking hurt, he didn't have any desire to find out how moving would feel but he had no choice in the matter. They needed to move from here or be comfortable in their prison cells. The velcro strap that was placed under his head to prevent upward movement also prevented his jaw from opening wide. Although he could open his mouth enough to talk and breath and probably also eat, he was yet to try that, the plastic parts BA had designed were pressed painfully into his forehead with each move. It made his temple hurt even more.

Hannibal lifted Face's upper body and BA placed the pillows. They were both so engrossed in their task that they didn't notice the grimace of pain Face couldn't hide. But they did see that Face had his eyes closed and was breathing hard when they were done.

"You okay Faceman?"

"Just….dizzy….horizontal….too long."

"Just breath through it kid, it's to be expected, it will be better soon and then we take the next step."

'I hope you're right.' The dizziness wasn't his main problem. The pain made him see white spots. It took a while but finally he had the pain under control and motioned for them to go on to the next part. Hannibal pulled him into a sitting position and again jolts of pain went through his head. The only thing keeping him upright was Hannibal's hands. Anytime Hannibal let go he swayed and was immediately caught again.

"I'll hold you…just tell me when you feel ready to sit on your own."

'In about two weeks when this thing comes off.'

Face fought hard but the dizziness was rather getting worse and the nausea was building up. There was nothing he could do to hold back a groan any longer.

Hannibal eased him back down into the pillows. "I think it's the concussion kid. This time it's a pretty bad one and the weight of the halo is also not helping matters."

Face took some minutes to once again gain some control before he spoke. "Need to…move. Get me to the …van. Don't need to sit up, recline my seat, strap me in."

BA had long since equipped the back seat with extra harness like seat belts in case they needed to transport an unconscious or sick team member and got into a chase with the military. Face had been at the receiving end of that seatbelt and had always protested vehemently. Not that it did him any good. But now he was asking for it and that alone was sending off alarm bells in BA and Hannibal.

"If you're still that bad we can wait for a few days." BA didn't like the idea of Face having to sit in the moving van if lying down already caused so much discomfort.

"No. Need safe place to rest."

"Face is right BA, we need to move out. Here's too dangerous, small place, few inhabitants and we were seen not far from here. Someone might have recognized us with all the packing we did this morning. Can you help me get him out to the van?"

"Sure thing."

"Okay Face, up you go. We'll hold you under your shoulders and walk you to the van."

Dragging would have been the more correct word since Face had problems to keep his legs under him, let alone make steps of his own. They had only made it two steps when the room darkened and began to tilt dangerously.

In spite of everything he managed to get one foot in front of the other until they were a couple of feet away from the vehicle, but then he lost all control as pain shot through his back. "Argh," he gasped, his knees buckling beneath him.

"Face!" Hannibal and B.A. exclaimed simultaneously, holding him upright.

"I'm…'kay…just…a spasm," he said out of breath.

"You're almost there, man…you doin' great," B.A. encouraged.

"Yeah Face…just a few more steps and you'll be home free. Or at least van free," Hannibal joked.

Face groaned, but this time not from discomfort. "Stick to…your day…job, Han'bal."

"I'm with the Faceman…you ain't funny."

Hannibal put on a pout. "Thanks a lot you two!" But at least Face was doing well enough to make fun of his humor…that's all that mattered.


	9. Chapter 9

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 9

It was slow going the rest of the way. The step up into the van was the hardest part as Face's body didn't seem to want to follow his brain's commands. So B.A. took over the job of holding him up while Hannibal manually lifted his leg. Face felt like a puppet being pulled by strings and by the time they had him in his seat and reclined back he was completely at the mercy of his friends.

"Talk to me, Face," Hannibal ordered not liking the spaced out look in his lieutenant's eyes.

"I'm…okay…let's go," Face whispered not having the energy for much more.

Hannibal and B.A. exchanged worried looks, but it wasn't as if they had much of a choice. Going back into the motel would be equally as bad as driving to a new location. But at least by leaving they would no longer be sitting ducks.

Hannibal took the wheel while B.A. sat in Murdock's usual seat. B.A. couldn't help but comment on the irony. "First I'm forced to take the fool's blood…then I gotta take his seat."

Though B.A. had meant it as a joke, Face heard it as an attack…

"Told you I was sorry often enough now. Think you did enough payback to call it a draw. Lay off already." The words were only a whisper, but one spoken with venom.

BA and Hannibal were taken aback. How could Face change from totally exhausted to angry in seconds.

"I didn't mean anythin' by it, was just jokin'."

"Your raised fist was also just a joke, right?"

BA was out of words for the moment, sure Face was right but the way he spat out the words triggered something in him.

"Hey man, watch your mouth, you talkin' to BA Baracus."

"BA!" Hannibal shot him a warning glare through the mirror hoping it was enough to remind him of Maggie's words. Face was not himself now, the concussion and pain having taken their toll on him.

Face was trying to find the lock of his seat belt to unbuckle himself.

"What you fidgetin' around now? Leave it alone."

"I need out of this, I need to move, get me out of this harness, I feel like a fish in a can." Face was agitated and kicking out his legs while tugging at the seatbelt with his hands. He suddenly had a lot of energy it seemed.

"You ain't goin' anywhere, knock it off man."

"Yeah? And how do you want to prevent me from going? Knock me out again?"

BA placed a large hand over the buckle of Face's seatbelt. His voice was soft as he said, "No, I'll just keep you from opening your harness."

"Take your hands off of me!" Face was getting more agitated. Since his own clothes wouldn't fit over the halo vest he had been dressed in one of BA's t-shirts where the neck had been cut so it would fit over the halo. Face reached under it and was now trying to open the buckles of the vest while still kicking out.

"Hannibal."

"Try to get his wrists."

BA did so but between his injured thigh and the moving van it was difficult to hang on to him especially since he was still kicking around like mad. Hannibal had to stop the van and move to the back to assist BA; trouble was they were at a busy road and fast drawing attention.

"Put him to sleep colonel?"

"Don't want to risk any more drugs in his system if it can be helped, Maggie has him on quite some stuff already and you know how he reacts. Face, stop it, we need to move, people are looking, someone will call the military."

Face was beyond listening to reason, he was like a kid having a tantrum. "I want out of this thing, it's hurting me, take your hands off me."

"Face, the vest is not hurting you, it's helping you and you're going to stay buckled in until we reach our new location."

"We need him to keep still…if you don't want to drug him what else? Cuff him? Tie his legs to the chair?"

"Maybe not the worst idea. But we ….damn." Hannibal jumped out of the back and slammed the door shut. Another car had stopped and the driver was approaching him fast.

"Do you need help sir?"

"No, thanks. We're alright…kid needed to pee." The driver still looked skeptical so Hannibal added, "Taking the grandkids for a holiday." That satisfied the man and he returned to his car. Hannibal got inside and drove off.

"What now, Hannibal?"

"I can't assist you until we get to a more quiet part of the road, if nothing else helps tie him down, but only as a last resort."

BA tried a little longer but soon reached the end of his strength and snapped a pair of handcuffs around Face's wrists and the door handle. He then moved to the back of the van to find a length of rope to tie Face's still kicking legs down before he hurt himself. He stopped searching when he didn't hear any thrashing anymore and looked up. Face was completely still. BA feared he had done something to himself and moved to the front to find Face sitting still in his seat, head beet red and eyes moist.

"Face?" Hannibal too had noticed the change.

The dam broke and Face cried silent tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I don't know what got into me, please forgive me."

"Hush Faceman, it's alright, let me undo your hands, here you go." BA was feeling awkward; calming Face was Hannibal's or Murdock's department but not his.

Face was too ashamed to meet BA's eyes and just mumbled a "thanks." The episode coupled with the sleepless night had worn him out and he soon drifted off to sleep.

"Oh man I hope this concussion will wear off soon, the mood swings are hard to take."

"Let's hope so, Maggie said it could take a while, especially since this is by far not his first concussion."

Hannibal wanted to get them to a cabin that belonged to a former client. It was about two hours drive from the motel, two and a half from Bad Rock. He had called the man earlier on but had doubted they could make all the way in one day. Now, however, since Face was asleep, he wanted to go there rather than to move again in a few days. They were within 10 minutes of their destination when he hit a pothole and Face woke up screaming in pain.

Hannibal had stopped the van and was at his side in seconds. BA held onto Face's hands to prevent him from causing trouble since he was trying to cradle his head.

"Kid, what is it? Talk to us."

"My head, my head."

"Headache?"

"Temple."

"Let me take a quick look." Hannibal carefully pulled back the bandage covering the area furrowing his brow at what he saw. No wonder it hurt, the wounds were red and puffy. "Kid, we're almost to the cabin…do you think you can make it?"

"Yeah," Face grunted in reply.

"As soon as we get there we can work on making that head of yours feel better. B.A., just keep holding onto him."

"Right. When it hurts just squeeze my hands, Faceman. I'll help you through." Face didn't answer, but he did grasp onto the big hands with all his might. "You gonna be okay…you gonna be okay."

Face felt anything but okay thirty minutes later as he lay flat on a bed with Hannibal and B.A. closely staring at the side of his head.

"What you gonna do, Hannibal?" B.A. asked.

"I need to drain out as much of this pus as I can and clean the area with some disinfectant."

"You sure we shouldn't call Maggie?"

Hannibal wanted nothing more than to do just that. "No, we can handle this. I watched her care for the cuts at the hotel. And don't forget that I patched up much worse than this before." Hannibal didn't need to go into detail for B.A. to know what he was referring to Nam. "I just wish I hadn't insisted on letting Face sleep. Maggie wanted to look him over, but I didn't let her."

"Not your fault," Face said wearily. "I pretended to sleep…my temple hurt bad, but I didn't want to screw up the plan."

"Oh, Face."

Face cast his eyes downward at the disappointment in Hannibal's voice. "Sorry…I know I should have said something. I was going to wait to tell her when we got here…I didn't know she was leaving until after she was gone."

"You still should have said something." Hannibal didn't want to lecture the obviously hurting man, but he couldn't hold back.

Face swallowed hard and thought he might cry. 'Get a grip, Peck. What is wrong with you.' His emotions were all over the map as a result of his head injury, but in the moment he didn't realize that, he just felt like a wimp.

B.A. didn't like the tension in the room. "It don't matter now, man, so don't worry about it."

Hannibal took a deep breath. "B.A.'s right…"

"I'm always right," B.A. interjected.

"The main thing now is taking care of the infection before it spreads. Maggie set us up with all the things we need, just give me a couple of minutes to set up and I'll be back."

Face was still fighting the urge to cry. 'I'm such a screw up. I don't do anything right,' he thought.

B.A. saw that Face was upset and felt he should say something to try and comfort him. But what? There was no telling what would set him off and the last thing he needed to do would be to get him agitated before the upcoming procedure. So instead he opted to just hold the younger man's hand.

Face felt B.A. take his hand again and it nearly sent him over the edge. It was such a simple gesture and it wasn't as if it was the first time…heck, he had held B.A.'s hand just before in the van. But it was the gentle way he alternated rubbing small circles in his palm and stroking the back of his hand that made the moment so tender. Even though it meant more pain was coming, he was actually relieved when Hannibal returned; he didn't want to break down in front of these men.

"Kid, I'll try to make this as fast as possible, but you're going to have to hold real still for me." While the halo vest would aid some in keeping Face from moving, it wouldn't keep his arms or legs from lashing out. "Once I remove some of this fluid, the pressure should lessen and you'll feel much better."

Hannibal was right, he did feel better, but not before he felt worse. Hannibal took a small scalpel and made a series of small cuts into the swollen tissues. He then pressed lightly to release the yellowish liquid. Face began to pant and had a white knuckled grip on the sheets beneath him until Hannibal announced, "All I need to do now is clean the cuts. B.A., I think you should hold him for this."

Face wanted to tell them 'no' and that he would be alright, but his voice wasn't working and the truth was he didn't know if he would be able to hold still.

B.A. pressed down on Face's shoulder as Hannibal placed a rag soaked in a disinfectant solution on top of the temple. Face gasped and would have jumped clear off the bed if it wasn't for B.A. He couldn't breathe…B.A. began to blur…the light began to fade…and then he was out.

Hannibal and B.A. wordlessly cleaned up each lost in their own thoughts. Hannibal thought back to another time in which he had to perform a similar operation on Face…but it was years ago. It was on one of their earlier missions after going on the run. But this time it wasn't Face's head involved, it was his abdomen and the way he injured himself was quite memorable.

They had helped a farmer and his wife to defend their beautiful horse farm against some thugs. The very first day they arrived Hannibal admired the horses, such beautiful animals they were. His family always had horses and he practically grew up on their backs. Murdock was a fan of any animal and had soon started talking to the horses; he too told the others he knew how to ride on horseback. Even BA couldn't resist the charm of the animals even though it meant agreeing with Murdock for once. He had learned how to ride on horseback during a summer camp out of Chicago. Face stood a bit away from the others with three horses gathered around him. He was stroking their noses and their necks and murmuring something to them. The farmer watched him and when everybody had finished telling his tale he pointed at Face saying, 'this one's a natural, I can see he has plenty of experience with horses. One of those standing there with him is very shy and never comes close to strangers.'

Later that day when they all sat around for dinner the farmer announced that he saw the love of each of them for the animals and if at all possible he would like for them to stay a while longer after the case was over so they could all enjoy a nice ride on horseback through the countryside. Hannibal, having seen his men with the animals, readily agreed without asking his men.

Ever the conman Face didn't show anything but inside he was terrified. He had heard the farmer praise him as natural and having lots of experience and also knew all his friends could ride on horseback. Truth was he had never come so close to horses in his whole life than that day. He had stood there admiring those proud horses when they came over to him and he had decided to pat them a bit. Their fur had felt so good under his hands. He decided that it couldn't be so difficult, after all the horse knew what to do and they had seemed friendly enough. He snuck out at midnight when he was sure all others were asleep and went into the stable. He made sure to be very quiet and not alert anyone before they mistook him for one of the unfriendlies and shot him. He had learnt how to sneak up on somebody, or away from somebody, early in his life and sure got enough practice in Nam. When he had reached one of the friendly horses from the afternoon he approached from behind, patted it on the back while saying 'hi'. Unfortunately he had been so quiet that even the horse had not heard him coming and was startled and kicking out with his hind legs. Face had a fast reaction and was able to get out of the horses reach before it hit him. He jumped back and continued backwards when he tripped, instinctively turned around and managed to fall on the pitchfork he had tripped over. It left two nice deep lacerations on the right side of his abdomen.

Face moved back to the house cleaned his wound as good as he could and went to sleep. He really started to feel it the next day but was too proud to tell anyone what had happened. Maybe he would be lucky and staying longer wasn't an option at all. Those plans went right out the window the third morning after the accident. He had a fever and felt sick, no way to hide the injury any longer. Hannibal took a look at it and saw the deep infection. He cut the wound open to drain the fluid and clean it properly.

When he was done BA demanded to know who had done this, he was ready to pound the guys into the ground. Face felt like a little boy again as he confessed what really happened and that he had no experience with horses at all. They all had a good laugh about how awkward it must have looked like and teased him without end. Only the farmer remained quiet and used every free hour they had to teach Face how to ride on horseback.

It turned out the kid was a natural, he learned it in no time and it gave him a boost to know he had achieved something new. Finally the case was solved and all his team made big eyes when they saw Face sitting on a horse back without the slightest hint of a problem.

"What'cha thinkin' about, colonel?" B.A. asked.

Hannibal jumped slightly; he had been so consumed by his memory that he hadn't heart B.A. coming up from behind.

"Sorry…didn't mean to sneak up on you, man."

Hannibal waved him off. "No…it's all right. I just can't believe I didn't hear your gold coming."

"So what was you thinkin' about?" he asked again.

Hannibal filled B.A. in and the two of them shared a smile at Face riding off into the sunset. "The kid hasn't changed much since then," Hannibal said.

"Yeah…looks almost exactly the same."

Hannibal nodded. "True, but I was talking about more than that. He still tries to hide his pain from us. You'd think by now he'd trust us enough."

B.A. saw the slight sag of Hannibal's shoulder and the sadness in his eyes. "I don't think it's that he don't trust us."

"Then what is it, B.A.? Because I'll be damned if I can figure that kid out."

B.A. shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno for sure, but I bet it has a lot to do with his childhood."

"I know," Hannibal sighed. "Being an orphan is bound to cause trust issues. I guess I was just hoping that he would consider us his family by now and that he wouldn't feel he had to keep things from us."

"He ain't tryin' to hurt nobody, colonel…he just don't know any better."

"I know that, B.A., really I do. I guess I'm just thinking out loud. But damn…it still hurts…Face not trusting me still hurts."

Face woke up to the words, 'Face not trusting me still hurts'. He was floored to hear that they thought he didn't trust them…besides Father Maghill, they were probably the only people he had trusted…EVER. But trust for Face was probably defined differently than it would be for most others.

Face believed that the team would never purposely try to hurt him, though he was always ready for when they would. He had been kicked enough times to know that it was better to brace himself for the blow than for it to come out of nowhere. Did he trust the team with his life? Absolutely. With his heart and innermost feelings? While he wanted to say yes, the answer was no. There was absolutely nobody that he trusted with that.

But the fact that he wasn't able to open up completely to the team…to Hannibal…wasn't a reflection upon them. It just showed how truly scarred he was from the inside out.

"I do." It was croaked more than talked and immediately drew the attention of the other two inhabitants of the room.

"Hey kid, how are you feeling?"

"Fine…better." He remembered how Hannibal hated for him to say he was fine when he was so obviously not just in the nick of time to avoid a lecture. His words were followed by a slight cough. "Throat's dry."

"Think we can raise you a bit so you can drink from a straw?"

"Can try." That cough again, where was that coming from.

After some few sips of water they eased him back down. He felt dizzy from just that little movement. It seemed like the dizziness had increased since they left the motel. 'Probably just from driving, no need to upset anyone. It'll go.'

"You do what?"

"Huh?"

"When you woke up, you said 'I do'."

"Oh, trust you, I do trust you."

"Really? If that's your version of trust I wouldn't want to be the one you don't trust."

"But I do trust you, I trust you with my life … anytime we have a mission." He had to stop in between to cough and it started to hurt his already aching head even more.

"You hardly tell us anything about yourself; even keep your pain to yourself instead of seeking our help. We're fugitives, we need to help each other for lack of other possibilities."

"What's there to tell? Is my past that important? And I do help you wherever I can."

"That's not what I'm saying, I'm not talking of you helping us but you seeking our help. And as for your past, close friends do talk about themselves, it's called opening up to those closest to you, you should try that one day."

There was quite some sarcasm in Hannibal's voice but also hurt and anger. BA didn't like the tension that was building in the room, although Hannibal was right now was not the time to get into it, no need to agitate Face again. BA tried to change the direction of the topic to humor. "Yeah gotta open up to Hannibal, after all he's your granddad that you caused to stop in the middle of the road to pee."

"Huh?"

"That was his excuse when you had your tantrum in the car and someone stopped to offer help."

Face blushed and cast his eyes away, "Sorry for that. I don't know what got into me."

" 's okay, it's the concussion, it will go."

Hannibal had caught up to BA's try to diffuse the situation and was glad for it. He decided to let the topic rest for now but get back to it as soon as the kid was up to it. "BA, if I recall correctly I said 'grandkids' so that includes you."

"Nah man, that includes the other fool, Murdock. I'm their nanny." BA giggled and a wide grin spread across his face. "That means you and the fool have to listen to what I say."

"That also means it's your duty to make sure they are fed and cleaned and then you have to send them off to bed with a bedtime story."

BA's scowl returned but before he could say something Face beat him to it. "Talking of feeding….Nanny BA, I'm hungry." Again he had to stop for a cough.

"Don't you get me started fool."

"Sorry kid, forgot how hungry you must be. Maggie said we can start giving you food once we arrive. Now the risk for you to get complications from the vomiting is reduced since you can sit up or roll to your side to do your business. Said we should start you on either Jell-o or oatmeal. What's it going to be?"

"What about steak?"

"You can't open your mouth wide enough for that with the velcro strap in place and we were warned not to take it off. Besides your stomach would hurl it right back at us. So what now?"

"Oat…" Face was again stopped by coughs.

"Is your throat still dry or is it something else."

"Throat." It wasn't that dry but he didn't know where the coughs were coming from. With a pang of guilt Face noticed that this was exactly what Hannibal was talking of. Instead of telling them he didn't know he went for the explanation that was easiest to find a solution for. He couldn't bring himself to go back on his statement though.

Once again he was raised up to sip some water. "Let's leave you in this position since you're going to eat, or rather be fed soon, isn't it nanny BA?"

BA growled something inaudible in Hannibal' direction while Face complained "I can eat myself, my hands are okay."

"No you can't, not with this being your first time and you not sitting properly upright. Your mouth can't open wide and we can't have you get your vest dirty or for you to drop food inside. Remember it can't be cleaned for as long as you wear it." With that Hannibal stepped away from the bed to go to the kitchen and take care of that oatmeal. They had not taken the time to look around the room properly or else they would have noticed that Hannibal stepping away cleared Face's view to a mirror opposite the bed. Face got the first look at himself and gasped at what he saw, all color draining from his face.


	10. Chapter 10

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 10

It was like seeing something out of a horror film. His pale skin stood out in stark contrast to the bulky metal contraption surrounding his head. There were dark circles under his eyes, stubble on his chin, and a bright white bandage covering his temple. And, of course, there was his hair…or lack of thereof…that was the most shocking of all.

It wasn't that Face was vain; the truth was that he didn't really care much about what he looked like. He never considered himself particularly handsome and didn't understand why people made such a fuss about his looks. Ever since he was a small child people would make comments on his outward appearance but yet when it came time for adoption he was always passed by. That constant rejection has a way of making one feel ugly…from the inside out.

But Face was "the Faceman" and as a result he knew he had to look the part and play along. That meant taking the time to properly groom himself and dressing in a certain manner. It was a hassle at times and even exhausting, but it came with the job. He often envied the others. Hannibal was the plan maker and leader; B.A. the mechanical whiz and team muscle; and Murdock, while technically insane, was as amazing pilot.

And where did that leave Face? He was the conman…he used his looks to get the team what they needed. His job was to lie, cheat and scam. And though it was always done for survival or to help others, there were moments when it made him feel really bad to deceive others

So while Face lay there staring at his reflection, it wasn't so much the butchered hair and the unkempt exterior that was upsetting, it was what it represented. He couldn't do his job looking this way and as a result he wouldn't be able to help the team and pull his own weight.

Face brought a shaky hand up to his head and lightly touched the short blonde mess. It would take forever for him to get it back to the way it was before…perfect. Face had to look perfect; in his mind it was the only thing he had going for him and the main reason the team kept him around.

"It'll grow back, man," B.A. said soothingly.

"Yeah, I know." The words were whispered and initiated another cough.

Hannibal reentered the room with the oatmeal, but froze in place when he saw Face intently studying himself in the mirror. "Oh, kid."

"S'okay," Face smiled…another cough. "I'm hideous…I should be apologizing to you for having to look at me."

Hannibal put the tray he had been carrying down on the nightstand. "Don't do that, Face."

"Do what?" Cough.

"Make a joke to cover up your real feelings."

"You wanna know what I'm feeling?" Face asked.

"Yeah, man," B.A. said leaning slightly forward to hear the answer. "We do."

"I'm feeling," Face paused for dramatic effect, "hungry."

"Smart-ass," Hannibal moaned. "Fine, eat first. But we will finish this conversation later."

Face hoped he would feel better once he got some food into his system. The oatmeal did seem to sooth his throat and he was coughing less, but the dizziness was still present and his chest was starting to ache. He took another glance at his reflection and felt a sudden rush of anger and disgust. He felt hot and cold all at the same time and the air in the room was beginning to feel thin.

"Okay, lieutenant. Now that you aren't feeling hungry anymore. I want to know what you are feeling now?"

Face glowered at Hannibal before picking up the glass of water from the tray on his lap. He pretended to lift the glass up to his mouth before quickly cocking his arm back and hurling it into the mirror across the room. "That's how I'm feeling."

"Oh Face…."

"Don't. I don't need your pity. Just leave me alone, I've always been fine alone and…"

"Kid, you're not alone, not anymore, haven't been for a long time now."

"You're wrong Colonel, I am, always have been always will be. I…" he was stopped by a coughing fit that hurt in his chest and he grimaced before going on. "I'm nothing, a nobody, no good damaged goods. Look at my reflection, it's showing you a glimpse of the real Templeton Peck, the one under the masks."

"Face stop this. I don't want to hear you talking like this."

"No? But you asked me how I feel. Or was it just pretence Colonel? You don't really want to know, do you?" Murdock had returned a moment earlier and just entered the room as Face raised his voice that now had a hoarse sound to it.

"I feel like the useless piece of scum that I am and now I also look the way."

Hannibal knew he had to stop Face before he got too agitated. He was struggling for emotional control as well as physical one. By now he had worked himself up so much that he had to wheeze to get air in and Hannibal had a sinking suspicion that there was yet another battle to be fought. "Lieutenant you need to stop this before you make yourself sick."

"Look at me, just look at me! I'm useless, absolutely useless. Look at this thing on me, it's expensive. I'm consuming the team's money without being able to earn anything. You all…"

"Face, stop. Lieutenant, I said stop it."

"You all have something special, a special skill that makes you good at what you do, makes you the A-Team. I'm just there to look good but now no more…" He was wheezing more and more.

"Face, stop this."

"… useless piece of dirt, laying here getting fed like an infant. How am I supposed to scam something, to do my share?" There was another coughing spill and when it was over there was a brief calmness before Face coughed up the oatmeal again, so much for taking in some food.

Hannibal didn't like how Face was holding a hand over his chest, obviously in pain. He had to keep a close tab on that. It wasn't an easy plan though since Maggie had forbidden them to open the velcro strap on their own.

As fast as the anger came on it also ebbed away and left Face feeling empty and ashamed. His head hurt badly and now the vest felt as if it was way too tight over the chest. He needed air but couldn't get enough in, his throat burned from the coughs and the acid and now in addition he was shivering in the cold air.

Murdock came over with a blanket and draped it over him. "Here buddy, that's better. When did you get the shivers, Facey?"

But Face didn't answer. His eyes were still closed to help concentrate through the pain. He wanted to scream in frustration but instead only whispered. "Murdock, I'm so useless." The tears did not stay back any longer and he cried into Murdock's shoulder, or rather in the space between him, the halo construction and Murdock's shoulder while Murdock rubbed small circles at his back.

"That's it, buddy…just let it out."

Face pulled away a few moments later and wiped at his eyes. "S…sorry." He rested his hands on top of his chest as if that would somehow make it easier to breathe.

"Don't apologize, Faceman. You got a right to yo' feelins'."

Face coughed harshly and then said. "No…not fair…not your problem."

"Face, you are our problem," Hannibal said, and then mentally kicked himself as he saw Face's already pale complexion turn ghostly. "No…I didn't mean it like that. What I meant to say is that when you have a problem then we all have a problem." Face turned still whiter.

"Hannibal," Murdock said in a whispered tone. "You're not helping things here."

"I…I'm nothing…but a …problem," Face rasped. "Always…have been…always will…be."

"What the colonel means…or at least he better mean if he don't want me to pound him…is that when you're hurtin' we all are hurtin'…but only 'cause we care about you man."

Hannibal smiled gratefully. "Exactly! We're a team…what happens to one of us happens to all of us. You have never been a problem to us, kid…just a valuable member of the unit." Hannibal cleared his throat and turned a shade of pink. "And somebody I care about very deeply."

"You…you do?" Face was growing weak. His limbs felt heavy and he ached everywhere.

"Yes, we do."

"We all do," Murdock smiled. "And that goes for Billy too…and he's a very good judge of character."

"He's a dog fool," B.A. growled. "What am I talkin' about? He ain't even a dog…he's a…he's a…"

"He's a what?" Murdock grinned triumphantly at making B.A. squirm.

"He's a figment of your crazy fool mind is what he is."

Even Face smiled slightly at the exchange before another cough attack followed by more wheezing ravaged his body.

"Face, tell me what you're feeling…exactly," Hannibal ordered.

"We're not…back to…feelings again…are we?" Face quipped avoiding having to give an answer.

"Lieutenant!"

"My chest…feels kinda…tight. Hard to…breathe real…good. Head still…aches. But I'm…"

"Fine," the others answered together along with Face.

"You…shouldn't have…to take care…of me…like this. Just go…about your…business. I'll be…alright." But Face's words were becoming fainter and the slurring was back.

"I seem to remember a time when you took care of the three of us a couple of years back," Murdock said.

"That's right, man. And if I remember right…we wasn't exactly good patients."

"B.A.'s right, Face," Hannibal interjected. "We made you wait on us hand and foot…"

Murdock sighed at the memory. "Until you collapsed in front of us…"

Face too remembered that awful week and listened in as they began to recount the exact details.

Unbeknown to everyone Murdock had brought a bad case of the flu with him when they sprung him from the VA for a mission. It was a fast mission in South America but the last fistfight was particularly nasty. Although they won, everybody, including BA, was battered and bruised. When they took account Murdock had two cracked ribs, Hannibal a black eye, Face a collection of bruises on his face and BA had a sprained wrist. In addition Murdock had started a cough and seemed to be coming down with a cold. Just after they returned it developed into a full blown flu and within the next two days BA and Hannibal joined in. Murdock had asked to not be sent back to the VA since his nightmares were always worse when he was sick so Face was left to care for all three.

"We found it kind of unfair that you didn't join in the fun and made you our nurse and servant so you got your share of our flu." BA remembered. "Man if I had been in your shoes I wouldn't have been as patient. But it sure was fun to think of new requests; you did all we asked for no matter how stupid the request was."

"I remember marveling about how you would bicker about Hannibal's obstacle courses but never once complained when we made you run lap after lap after lap."

"You were sick…I had to care for you."

"Kid, if that's the way the nuns at the orphanage cared for you when you were young they sure had a good workload."

Face left that uncommented, he didn't want to think back to those times; laying in the infirmary with no friends to visit and not being allowed to play. Sure the nuns cared…they brought food and meds and checked on their patients. But anything extra and they would moan and complain. 'Why did you have to vomit all over the sheets? Why do you need water in the middle of the night? Stop coughing so loud you'll wake the others.' And so on it went. Not that he didn't understand them, caring for so many kids was quite a task, but when he was in the position to care for somebody he knew exactly how nice it was to get some extras, that's why he did all they asked for.

"We took over your fancy apartment. Hannibal in your bed room, Murdock in the guest room and I on the couch. You slept on the small couch without complainin' while you usually whine about bunk beds and anything uncomfortable."

"Ah BA, Facey here didn't complain because I doubt he ever felt much of that couch. It's not like we allowed him to sleep much. We made sure to yell for him ever so often during the night. Even in the second part of that week when we were well capable of getting things for ourselves. Remember how he installed those little bedside alarms for each of us so we didn't yell each other awake." Murdock still felt a little guilty but at the time it was fun and he had been bored.

They constantly complained about taking their meds, wanting different food, colder water, warmer tea and so on. During the later part of the week the three spent their days on the couch watching TV and sending Face to get them things. The last thing they asked for was iced tea, but not just three cups of it: peach flavored and crushed ice for Hannibal, lemon flavor with ice cubes for BA and green apple with gummy bears, but only green ones, and heated to 32 degrees Celsius for Murdock. Face went to the kitchen and prepared it all, came back with the tray…and collapsed right in front of the kitchen door. He fell on the drinks and the shattered glasses. They all remembered vividly what happened next.

'Face, my god.' Hannibal was first to reach him and noticed just how hot Face was. Taking a close look he saw the pale skin and dark circles under his eyes but it had been difficult to see because of the various fading bruises on his face. He came around just seconds later.

'S…sorry, I'll go get…fresh ones.'

'Kid, since when are you feeling sick?'

'I'm fine, just…need to refill the cups.'

'You ain't doin' nothin' but layin' down. You sick.'

'No, it's…'kay.'

'Nothing's okay Face, you're sick and never told us, BA help me get him on the couch. You're soaking wet, Face. Let's get you out of this t-shirt.'

'No…I'll go change.'

'Stop complaining already.' Hannibal pulled up the t-shirt and they all gasped at what they saw. His torso was covered in dark bruises, some fading some still very prominent.

'Face, why didn't you say anything?'

Face looked down, 'Nothing's broken and I didn't have the flu, somebody needed to care of you.'

"We could sure have done with less care that time. You pushed yourself to fulfill our every wish without thinkin' of yourself. You never got enough rest and didn't tell us when you also felt the flu."

"Yeah, you almost ended up with pneumonia that time because you were so exhausted and started rest and medication too late. And right now I don't like that cough you developed. I want to know of every change the minute it happens kid. I'm contemplating to call Maggie as it is."

"And I want to know whenever you want somethin', after all I'm your nanny." BA said with a wink.

"Okay, nanny," Face smiled. "I've gotta go."

"Go where?"

"To Hawaii," Murdock said with an eye roll. "Where do you think he has to go?"

The light bulb went off in B.A.'s head. "Oh…yeah…okay. I'll get the bedpan."

"No way…"

"Face, you're coming down with something and are still suffering from the concussion," Hannibal reasoned. "Don't you think it…"

"What I think…is that…this halo thing is…so I can…move around, right?" Every breath hurt; it was almost as if there was something stuck inside his lungs.

"Yeah, but…"

"It's okay, Hannibal," B.A. said. I can take him." He turned serious eyes upon the figure in the bed. "But we move real slow."

Slow was an understatement. It took a good five minutes to get Face onto his feet and for his vision to clear enough for him to be able to walk. B.A. supported him under one elbow and together they inched toward the bathroom leaving Hannibal and Murdock to do some unpacking.

It felt like a victory to be on his feet again, but Face was disturbed by how quickly he became fatigued and winded. Once inside the bathroom B.A. lowered the toilet lid and said, "Sit for a minute, man."

Face didn't argue. Even if he wanted to he didn't have enough air with which to form the words.

B.A. eyed him critically and when he saw Face's breathing slow a bit he asked, "You need my help, or you want some privacy?"

"I'm alright."

B.A. helped him to stand up. "I'll be right outside the door if you need me."

"Thanks." Face was okay until he bent over slightly to flush the toilet. He stood back up too quickly and his world went white. He reached out for the sink and held on tight. "B.A.!" he croaked as loudly as he could.

B.A. was back in the room just in time to hold Face up as his hands slipped away from the porcelain. "I gotcha…I gotcha."

B.A. held Face steady and watched what was going on through the mirror. Face had his eyes closed and was focused on trying to get his breathing under control. Then suddenly his eyes opened and his complexion paled.

"Feel…sick."

B.A. helped Face back over to the toilet and down onto his knees. A fit of coughing triggered a chain reaction and Face retched until there was nothing left to come out. It was awkward and uncomfortable to say the least, but this time at least he was able to expel all the substances without any going back.

Face sat back onto the toilet lid again while B.A. cleaned up the surrounding area. "Sorry…B.A."

"Hey, man…what's a nanny for," He joked, but it sounded forced.

The trip back to the bedroom was even slower going as Face's attack left him extremely weak. Once he was settled under the covers B.A. put a hand to his forehead and said, "you feel warm, Faceman. But at least you ain't coughin' so much."

"Feels a little easier to breathe too." Maybe he had gotten out some of whatever it was that was clogging his chest. But he could feel the beginnings of a fever and only prayed that it would pass quickly and without getting too high.

B.A. looked wiped out and it didn't go without notice. "You feeling alright, B.A. Hannibal and Murdock are probably out at the van if your leg's bothering you."

"Nah…my legs fine."

Face's head had started to ache at the temple again, but he was more concerned about his friend at the moment. "Then what's wrong?"

B.A. sighed. "You know…I feel bad…about you and all."

"This isn't all your fault, B.A. Yes, you hit me good…by mistake," he emphasized, "but I've taken a lot of hits to my head. And probably too many recently. Your hit was just the fist that broke the conman's head." B.A. didn't so much as grin. "That was a joke…tough audience."

"What? Oh…I'm sorry, man. I was just thinkin' about you sayin' that you took lots of hits to your head. Remember that time when that booby trap hit you in the back of the head?"

"Sure I do, was my head after all."

"Man, I thought I had lost you. There ain't many people that can say they scared BA Baracus."

"I did? Honestly I don't remember anything, I was on rear duty and the next thing I know I wake up in a hospital with the mother of all headaches and a hole in my shoulder, Hannibal in the bed next to me and you and Murdock sitting in between us. You told me I ran into a bobby trap and a VC was about to shoot me when you found me. That's all I know."

Face was relatively new to the team and they had gone on a mission with a platoon. The mission was a success but on the way to the LZ they ran into VC's and had to fight their way through. Some of the men died, others were injured. Hannibal took a bullet to the shoulder. Eventually they regrouped and Face brought up the rear. They all made it to the chopper, all but their rear guard. Face was nowhere to be seen.

"When you didn't show up at the LZ Hannibal was about to climb out of the chopper again but I stopped him, he needed help. Told him I'd get you. He looked at me and said 'Get our stray kid home BA.' and I did just that. I ran back into the cover of the tree and Murdock took off. The LZ was under fire and it was increasin', they couldn't wait around. I run back the way we had come and found you about a click from the LZ, knocked out cold by a booby trap and a VC standin' over you aiming for your head. I tackled the man and his shot went into your arm instead of the head. You were deeply unconscious and didn't even come around from that noise or the pain. I picked you up and ran back to the LZ to hole up with you and wait. Luckily Charlie had left once the chopper was gone, only a few soldiers stayed back just in case but I found a nice place to hide for us. I patched you up as good as I could but damn you were really leakin'. After a while you came around and looked at me with big eyes saying 'Father, I'm so cold' before you passed out again. I picked you up again and settled you between my legs, holding you tight. You were still leakin' and I thought you wouldn't make it but you hung tough. That was the time I noticed that our cocky baby faced Lieutenant is one tough kid. I was praying for the chopper to come back. Me…can you imagine…praying for a chopper."

"BA, you saved my life, countless times. I…"

"And I would do it again, everyday. You know, I was feeling bad then, I had this little bet going with Ray, I bet you wouldn't make it to more than three missions while Ray had said four. I mean, this was the third mission we had gone on together and you almost didn't make it."

He could hear the sound of BA's voice but it was like background music. The tightness in his chest built up again and he was wheezing. The dizziness was also increasing again and his stomach started to turn once more.

B.A. saw that Face was in trouble and that he wasn't responding to his words. He moved as quickly as his injured thigh would allow him to the front door and yelled, "Hannibal…I need you in here."

But instead of Hannibal, Murdock came running. "Where's Hannibal?"

"On the van phone with Maggie…what's wrong?"

"Faceman ain't breathin' too good."

Murdock was about to run back for Hannibal when the older man headed their way. "Maggie said that the military have been back around and…" His voice trailed off when he saw the panic on B.A.'s face. "What?"

"It's Face…"

That's all it took for Hannibal to head inside where he found his lieutenant gasping for air. "Murdock get the bag Maggie packed us…when I told her Face was coughing she told me that she packed an inhaler."

"Face…listen to me kid," Hannibal said taking hold of his hands and looking him in the eye to get his attention. "I'm going to give you something to help your breathing…just hang in there." Murdock handed Hannibal the device and Hannibal removed the cap, shook it and held it up to Face's lips. "I'm going to press down on the cartridge…try to take a slow breath and hold it."

It took three tries before Face could stop coughing long enough for the medicine to go in. They repeated the process twice, as per Maggie's instructions, and gradually Face's breathing seemed to ease. "Thanks guys," he mumbled.

"Maggie had a feeling that this would happen," Hannibal said. "We need to allow you to cough up as much as you can in order to avoid pneumonia. In between you can use the inhaler when needed."

"What were you sayin' before 'bout Maggie?" B.A. asked.

"Some MPs have been spotted around the area and she has seen them drive by her clinic. It looks like she is trapped in Bad Rock for a while." He mentally added, 'and we are on our own.'

"How're you feeling now, muchacho?" Murdock asked.

"Better," Face said, and then shivered.

"You cold, Face?" Hannibal questioned.

Face's eyes drooped before he had a chance to answer, the exhaustion claiming him.

"He may have the chills, but he runnin' a fever," B.A. informed them. He then told them about what had transpired in the bathroom earlier. One thing was for sure…it was going to be a long night.

Hannibal placed a hand on Face's forehead. "He's warm, but not too bad yet, let's hope it will stay that way."

"Did Maggie say anything else?"

"Yeah." Hannibal couldn't help it and ran a hand over the short hair of the sleeping man. "Said the kid might be headed straight for pneumonia from aspiring acid from his vomit. She said we have to watch for the symptoms and if he gets worse inform her. It just got worse but I want to wait, maybe the fever won't spike. She also said we have to watch his eating and drinking. With the restricted jaw movement he should not be given bigger chunks but just food he doesn't need to chew much and we have to make sure he swallows alright and takes in enough."

Within the hour Face's temperature had risen from warm to hot, but not at a dangerous level yet and he was getting restless in his sleep.

"We have to calm him down." Hannibal went over to Face's bedside and held his hands in his own. "Shh, kid, sleep tight."

It had the opposite effect. Face's eyes flew open and he looked straight at Hannibal. "Get your hands off of me you freaking bastard."

Hannibal was shocked, mood swings were one thing but this was hard to take from the man he considered his son. Before he could move or say anything Face went on.

"You and your guards fucking me is one thing but you shove this in my mouth and I swear I'll bite it off."

Hannibal didn't know if he should be relieved or horrified. Face was back in the camps, dreaming with his eyes open. Then his eyes opened more wide in shock and fear, "No, no, anything but this, Chao, no, no, arghhhh…" The scream made their blood run cold.

"BA, hold his head still, Murdock hold him down. Face, kid, please listen to me, it's a dream, it's all over, please kid, wake up for me." Although his head and neck were immobilized there was only so much pressure the pins could stand without getting loose and Hannibal did not want that to happen. BA had a hard time of supporting his head and could feel the power with which Face tried to move his head out of the grip of the halo. Hannibal knew the halo and the sore throat had triggered the dream in the first place but that couldn't be helped now. Maggie had cautioned him that the pins could come lose if Face struggled too much and then would have to be replaced by new ones. Hannibal knew only too well what was haunting Face and unless he calmed the kid down the struggle would go on. He kept talking to Face while he remembered.

Face was returned to their cage hours after they had heard his screams. He wasn't totally out of it and whimpered as the guards dragged him over the muddy ground. Blood and vomit dripped from his swollen lips and mixed with the rain water. There was some bad swelling to his jaw that prevented him from opening it for days. He coughed up blood and each round of coughing started a new wave of pain that left him whimpering on the floor. After a particularly bad coughing fit in the second night he told Hannibal what had happened. Chao had used a hot metal poker to ram down Face's throat while the guards held Face's mouth open with metal clamps. After he was satisfied that he had punished Face thoroughly for being defiant he shoved himself in and intimidated the lieutenants mouth and throat before ordering the guards to do the same. Face had never brought up the topic again and Hannibal was pretty sure he didn't remember to ever have had this whispered conversation with Hannibal. After all it took another two days for him to be fully lucid again.

Face couldn't see or hear; all he knew was that he was being held down and that he was hurt badly. He tried to fight against his attackers, but their strength was too much. He could feel himself slipping away but he had to stay awake…he had to get back to the team.

"Keep holding him," Hannibal instructed, scurrying from the room to get a basin of cold water and some rags. Face's struggling was increasing his temperature; he needed something to cool the young man down with and hopefully bring him out of his nightmare.

Face felt something cold against his skin and then he started to hear voices. It sounded like Hannibal…but it couldn't be. But then he heard Murdock and B.A. too. The cool liquid was being rubbed across his burning skin and slowly bringing him back to reality. His vision began to clear and there they were by his side.

"Hey, kid. You with us?"

"Han'bal…so…so…awful."

"I know, son. But it was just a bad dream…it wasn't real." Hannibal knew that at one time it was real and the thought made him sick to his stomach.

"Yes…yes was. Was real…happened." Though it was years ago, it had all comeback to him as if it were yesterday.

Seeing that Face had calmed down, Murdock released his grip and said, "Shh…it's alright, buddy. You're safe now."

B.A. kept his hold on Face's head, just in case, but it wasn't as tight. "Ain't nobody gonna hurt ya, Faceman."

"I'm…okay…now," Face insisted feebly as the realization of what he must have said while in the midst of his flashback hit him. "Let me…up….so I can…help."

"You have a fever, Face. Just lay still and rest."

"No, Hannibal…I'm fine. Can pull…my…weight."

"We know you can," Hannibal said placing a new towel on Face's sweaty brow. "We've all seen you do your job even when you're sick."

B.A. saw that Face looked too weak to fight anymore, so he removed his hands and said, "But we ain't got a mission now, so you can just relax."

"Yeah, muchacho. Just close your eyes and count some monkees."

"Monkees?" The others, including a worn out Face, asked.

"Yeah…it's much more entertaining than counting sheep."

"Oh brother," B.A. groaned while Hannibal chuckled.

Face, on the other hand, was using all of his energy to stay awake. If he let himself sleep, there would be more dreams…and in his world more often than not dreams turned into nightmares. But eventually the choice no longer was his to make as his body said enough was enough and he lost consciousness.


	11. Chapter 11

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 11

"You know, colonel, Face would have gotten up off that bed and tried to help if we let him," Murdock said.

"Crazy man's right. Even though Faceman complains a lot about messin' up his clothes n' stuff, he always get the job done…"

"Did you say I was right?" Murdock interrupted.

"Quiet, fool, before I take that right and do somethin' very wrong."

"Boys, behave…before I have to put you both in time out," Hannibal scolded. "Face seems to work twice as hard when he's sick…as if he needs to prove something. I mean, we've all been forced to go on missions or do jobs while injured or sick. But Face seems to have worse luck than us with his timing."

"He sure do man," B.A. agreed. "You remember that job we had in the summer of '78?"

"The one that ended with Face having emergency surgery? How could I forget it!" Hannibal shuddered at the memory.

"Yeah, but he didn't have that surgery until after the mission was complete," Murdock paused and smiled, "and our fee was collected."

Face hadn't been feeling well for the week leading up to the job, and it only seemed to get worse as the time went on. He was having pains in the upper right side of his abdomen, especially after eating. But he knew Hannibal had a job lined up, a paying job for a change and they all needed the money…living in the underground was costly. He thought of going to a doctor but he didn't want to let his team down and Hannibal would postpone or even cancel the job if he knew one of his men was sick. Also the pain was not there constantly, it came and went, so he decided to wait until after the mission and not tell anyone about it.

Before Hannibal confirmed the job he did his routine questioning of all team members if they were alright and ready to take the job. By that time the pain was almost constantly there and had spread to his back and his right shoulder. He was felling nauseous often now and sometimes vomiting. He told Hannibal he had never felt better and was more than ready to go on a job that pays.

The mission took them to Mexico to stop a ring of human trafficking and prostitution. They kidnapped young girls and occasionally boys to sell to some rich Mexicans as sex slaves. Rather unfortunately for the goons they took the daughter of an American businessman who called the A-Team for help. That had been another reason why Face had hidden his pain; those kids needed their help and they needed it now and not when he was well.

Before they were ready to catch the goons and get the location of the sold kids to the police it took them two days of stalking them out and getting to know their routines. During this time Face's problems worsened and he couldn't hide it anymore, but he played it down. He had developed a fever and had the shivers. His skin and the white part of his eyes were turning yellow and he vomited even without eating now. As a result he stopped eating whenever he could get away with it and told the others he probably had a bit of a cold, nothing bad. He went for a deflecting tactic and started to whine about the hot weather, the bad food, their rooms and so on. He also avoided looking them straight in the eye so they wouldn't see the yellowish color building. It worked, everybody was busy and the constant whining made them avoid Face as much as possible.

Hannibal's plan worked without a hitch for a change and they soon had the goons wrapped up and called the client the minute the fight was over. He had insisted on coming along and waited in a hotel in the nearest town. The goons had a warehouse where they were operating from. One wall was covered with holding cells full of kids that waited to be sold; one of them was the client's daughter.

After he had his daughter safe back with him he handed over the money which Hannibal handed to Face to count. He flipped through the notes, handed it back…and promptly passed out. He came around just seconds later and curled up into a ball, gritting his teeth as a particularly bad spasm hit him.

'Kid, what is it?'

'Hurts.'

'Where? Where does it hurt?'

'All over.'

Hannibal now noticed the yellowish tone of Face's skin and forced open one eye. 'BA, we need to get him to a hospital and fast. For what medical knowledge I have he could have a problem with his gallbladder, that's where the yellow tint comes from. Maybe he ruptured it in the fight.

Hannibal was right, the gallbladder was ruptured but not due to the fight but the acute cholecystitis Face had been hiding from them. Gall stones had blocked the flow and bile had collected to the point where it ruptured. He needed emergency surgery and it was such a struggle to understand the doctors and nurses. Face was in the Mexican hospital for two days before they took him to an apartment in town to heal and Hannibal gave him a good long lecture about health and putting the mission at risk if he didn't tell them he was sick. It fell on deaf ears though, the next morning they woke up to the sound of Face clinking around with kitchen utensils to make them all breakfast.

"Man you was pissed. Ordered him back to bed and took over his life."

"Yeah colonel, you made him a plan of when to eat and when to sleep, and that was about all he was allowed to do."

Hannibal looked over at the sleeping figure that had been, and still was, the source of his concern. "He's one kind of a person, always insecure, constantly afraid to get thrown off the team. Sometimes I wonder where this roots from. "

"If I ever find out who caused him to be so insecure that guy won't have a nice life again." BA's usual scowl deepened and there was no doubt he meant what he said.

"Sometimes I'm at the end of my wits with this boy. After that stunt I made him tag along with me for six months, grounded him like a five year old. I made him endure my check-ups whenever he so much as coughed, listening to his chest, taking his temperature, feeling around his abdomen….and yet he's still doing it, hides all problems but whines over a paper cut. I just don't know what to do with this kid."

None of them knew what to do over the course of the next few hours as Face slept on and off. He would wake up coughing or from a nightmare and was delirious and disoriented.

"Where…what...what happened?" Face asked looking around with wild eyes.

"Shh…nothing happened," Murdock said softly.

"Mur…Murdock…you okay?" he asked as his eyes still scanned the room trying to make heads or tails out of what was going on.

"I'm fine, Facey. Still nuts…but fine."

"Hannibal…B.A.?"

"They're okay, too. They just went to the kitchen for some coffee."

Face stopped looking around and focused on the ceiling. "They're still mad…aren't they?"

Murdock furrowed his brow in confusion. "Mad about what?"

"You know…about what I did."

"What did you do, buddy?" Murdock noticed that Face's breathing was accelerating and he appeared to be getting upset. Trying to lighten the mood he quickly added, "Did you borrow one of B.A.'s necklaces to give to one of your dates?"

"They…were so…mad at me."

"Hey…it's okay…we all have our moments. I'm sure it was a misunderstanding." Murdock had no clue what he was talking about, but figured the best thing to do was to reassure Face.

"Not okay…you were on flight…you didn't see. But they were saying…things…bad things. Tried to walk away…but followed me."

Murdock's curiosity got the best of him so he asked, "who followed you?"

"Johnson's group…kept taunting me…I lost it. I ran…ran…away. Couldn't take it." Face started to cough and Murdock rubbed his arm encouraging him to get it out. When the attack subsided Face continued. "I ran, Murdock…I ran away…couldn't take it."

"Face, it's okay. What were you supposed to do? Take on the whole team?"

Tears welled up in his eyes. "I…should have…fought like a man…Hannibal and B.A. pissed that…I acted like a girl. Tripped on a root…messed up…my knee…too. That's why…I'm…laying here."

"How do you know they are mad at you, Face? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I…I…saw them looking at me…disgusted with me. Then I got dizzy…woke up…and now you're…here."

Hannibal and B.A. had been standing in the hallway listening to the conversation. Both men remembered the situation, but not the way Face told it.

"He think we was mad at him, colonel," B.A. whispered. "We wasn't mad at him…we was mad at them jerks."

Hannibal nodded and began moving toward the bedroom. "Let's set the record straight and tell our version."

Hannibal didn't like what he saw. Face was shivering although he was well covered in a thick blanket. He reached out to touch his forehead but Face flinched. The halo prevented him from moving away but Hannibal saw fear in his delirious eyes and pulled his hand back, he couldn't stand the thought of being the reason for Face's fear.

"I…I'm so….sorry Han'bal."

"Shh kid, it's alright. Nothing's your fault."

"Please…don't be mad again…please? BA?"

"Hush Faceman, no one's mad at you. It's those Jerk's…Johnson's group that we're mad with. They gonna pay, one day they gonna pay."

BA thought back to the time, they had just been out of hospital after escaping the POW camp and none of them was up to taking on Johnson and his gang. By right Face was still supposed to be in the hospital but he had begged them to take him along when they were discharged. At first they had insisted he stay in but when they came to visit him the next morning and the nurse explained that he was sedated because of the nightmares he had had throughout the previous night they talked to doctor after doctor until they had him released into Hannibal's care by the evening. He was weak but allowed to walk around for a bit between naps. He tired fast and needed medication but most of all he needed the team around him.

Face's eyes darted between Hannibal and BA. "Not…mad?... Really?"

"No, we're not mad kid. We're proud of you Face."

"Nothing…to be proud…of, ran like a school girl."

"It's alright Face, Not your fault. It was better to run than to start a fight." Hannibal still shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if it had come to a fight in Face's condition. "Now let me feel your forehead." Face was burning up, the fever spiking high now.

"Murdock, hand me the thermometer, Face, open your mouth for me, good, now close again and breathe through your nose."

"103…way too high. How's the chest? Does it hurt to cough?"

Face cast his eyes away, "I'm alright."

"Face, I need you to be honest with me, no matter what it is I'm not mad at you, you hear me? Tell me how you feel kid."

"Hurts, can't move my head." His speech was slurring now, he was about to go out again.

"That's alright kid, all will be alright you'll see."

His eyes drifted shut once more.

"I don't like this, not at all. He's struggling for every breath now and the fever is high." Hannibal carefully peeled away the bandage on Face's head to reveal more pus. The cuts were still infected.

"Damn, BA, you have to clean your jewelry more often." It wasn't meant to blame BA but he still felt a stab of guilt at the words.

"I need to clean it. Give me some wipes and have the peroxide ready. BA, support his head."

Hannibal wiped away as much of the pus as he could without Face so much as twitching. As he started to pure the peroxide he gasped to awareness and struggled just to pass out again seconds later.

It was BA's turn to curse, "Damn Hannibal, I think the left pin moved a little."

Hannibal carefully inspected the pins and found the left one had come loose during all of Face's struggles over the last hour. Maggie had attached a screw driver to the halo and said it has to always be there in case of emergency, but she had also warned not to screw in the pin to much or it could penetrate into the inner wall of the skull. He really didn't want to risk that but felt he had limited options. Just as he removed the screw driver from the halo he heard something.

"What was that?"

"Sounded like outside."

"The phone in the van."

Murdock made a dash for it, "Colonel, it's Maggie."

Hannibal left BA in charge of Face and run outside. "Maggie, it's too dangerous to call us."

"That's a nice greeting, you think now that you have a date you don't need to be friendly anymore?"

Hannibal didn't know if she was joking or trying to tell him something through a story. "Huh?"

"I'm not calling from my phone in case they have it tapped. I've been called to a farm just outside town and am calling from there."

"Does the farmer know? He might turn you in for aiding and abating…."

"John, he knows and no he won't turn me or you in. In fact, Mr. Holmes is standing right behind me. You saved this town from those rockers, you're our heroes. You have a whole town backing you up against the military and now drop the paranoia and tell me how Face is doing."

Hannibal sighed, "Not good. The fever has spiked, he's struggling to breathe, the cuts are infected again and the left pin has come lose. I was just about to fix it."

"Damn, I can't get away from here now without raising suspicions. You need to get his chest x-rayed to rule out or diagnose pneumonia. We can't wait any longer, his body isn't fighting the infection…he needs antibiotics. Is he coherent?"

"Most of the time not, he's jumping back and forth in his life. Right now he's in Vietnam, or was before he fell asleep."

"Look, I didn't return this portable x-ray machine yet, can Murdock meet with Hank? I'll add the antibiotics to the package."

They fixed a time and place for the next morning since it was already 10 in the night.

"You can tighten the pin but don't use too much force. If it can't be fixed or comes out he needs a new one. You saw me…"

"What? No way Maggie, I can't drill a hole in his skull."

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." Just as Maggie wanted to say goodbye Mr. Holmes spoke up from behind her.

"Mags, my wife is real sick and I think I need to call you over often."

"I told you it's just a cold."

"Mags, you're needed here, really often." He added with a wink.

"Oh, okay, thanks James. John, you can call here whenever you need something. Mrs. Holmes is ready to play the very sick patient just to get me here often so we can communicate. I'll also call you from here. Now get back to Face and see to it that his fever doesn't get to high, you can give him Tylenol. Raise him a little to ease his breathing."

The pin wasn't really tight again but it was holding its position for now. Hannibal just wished the night was over already.

"Uhm Colonel? I should probably know but you know my memory has some gaps around that time…what happened with Face and Johnson's group?"

"They apparently found it funny to taunt him about being raped by Chao and the guards. You know some nurse had let the information slip out, gossiped about his injuries and his nightmares and it wasn't too difficult to put 2 and 2 together. He was out of our quarters for a walk, I should never have let him go alone. They taunted how he was so obsessed with sex that he flirted with Chao and his guards since there were no woman to seduce. What a good life he must have had getting so much more sex than usual and that he sure must be missing his bed partners so much. They had gone on and at a point Face ran off into the jungle. When he didn't come back we went looking and heard them brag about how they had made the sissy run. BA needed only one good scowl and we had the direction. BA was intimidating even then, good thing they didn't know how weak he was. We found the kid on the floor; he had tripped and twisted his knee. In his weak condition he couldn't come back to the base."

While talking Hannibal had gotten a prefilled bottle of Tylenol ready and was approaching Face as he moaned and opened his eyes.

He gasped at the sight. "Sir please, please don't ….please, please stop experimenting…I can't take more…please."

Murdock recognized the tone of voice right away and moved over to sit on the bed next to the scared 9 year old. "Holmes, it's okay. Nobody is experimenting with you."

"Yes...yes they are. What...what's that?" Face asked pointing to the bottle of Tylenol as if it were poison.

"It's just some medicine to make you feel better. Doc Smith is just trying to get you well."

"Please...don't...don't...make me take it...please," Face begged.

Murdock felt his heart breaking for his friend. "You trust me, don't you Holmes? I haven't let anybody hurt you, have I?"

"N...No," Face stuttered.

"Just take the medicine...I promise it won't hurt you. It will help you feel better."

"Pro...promise?"

Murdock made an 'X' o his chest. "Cross my heart."

Face still looked skeptical, but he looked at Hannibal and said, "Okay."

Hannibal handed Face four pills and said, "these are chewable...I bet they taste good too." Maggie had been afraid that capsules might be hard for him to injest with water in his condition and would come right back up so she had given them the children's kind and told them to double the dosage.

Face did as was told and then lay there quietly until a pain shot through his skull. "Ah," he yelped. "Please...make it...stop." From that point on Face was consumed with the pain and he lie there whimpering and shaking as tears streamed from his eyes. Murdock held his hand and talked soothingly while Hannibal and B.A. watched helpless from the sidelines.

B.A. felt the rage building; he couldn't take seeing Face...or Holmes...or whoever he was in so much agony. He stood and started pacing, but in his condition it was more like limping, across the room.

"B.A., sit down," Hannibal ordered.

"I can't just sit here and watch him hurtin'."

"I know, but if you don't get off that leg of yours I'm going to have to watch you hurting as well...one down man is enough."

B.A. stopped in the middle of the room, fists balled up and looking like he was ready to explode.

"Sergeant," Hannibal said recognizing the signs of a full on B.A. breakdown. "Go take a break."

B.A.'s shoulders slumped and his head fell, but he made no sign of moving.

Hannibal stood and walked over to the muscle bound man and put his arm around his massive shoulders. "Go to the kitchen and make some coffee, okay?"

"Yeah...all right, man," B.A. sighed.

Hannibal walked him over to the door and said, "He's going to be okay, you know."

But that idea was countered by a scream coming from the bed followed by complete silence. "He's out, again," Murdock said. "Thank goodness...the poor kid."

"B.A. go," Hannibal insisted all but pushing him out the door. He then went and sat next to the bed and took a good look at Murdock who had his head in his hands. "You okay, captain?"

"What?" Murdock asked distracted. The question registered with him a few seconds later and he said, "Me? Yeah...I'm fine."

"Why don't you go join B.A. in the kitchen? I can stay with Face...you look like you could use a break too."

Murdock thought about objecting, but he knew that Hannibal was right. He hadn't eaten in a while and he felt a little shaky. "I guess I am a bit hungry. Need anything?"

'Face to get well,' he thought. "No, I'm good. Get some rest."

Hannibal sat in a chair next to Face's still form and eventually started to nod off. He woke up to find a blanket draped over him and Murdock and B.A. stretched out on the floor. They must have been more tired than they thought. Face was still out cold...but not for long.


	12. Chapter 12

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 12

The bed began to rattle and Hannibal realized the cause was the body laying in it. Face was shaking violently and sweat poured off of his body. The vibrations woke up Murdock and B.A. who immediately sprung up in fear.

"What's happenin', man?" B.A. asked.

"I'm not sure," Hannibal frowned, reaching out and placing a hand to Face's forehead. His frown turned the opposite direction and he said, "He's cooler...I think this means his fever broke." But the frown reappeared just seconds later and Hannibal quickly got to the head of the bed holding Face's head between his hands. "This shaking is doing nothing to that loose pin. I hope it stops soon."

Face soon stilled and kept sleeping but his breathing still sounded forced. "Now that the fever broke, maybe he won't need the antibiotics after all. He's always reacting badly to it." Mentally Hannibal added, 'Who are you trying to kid? Just listen to the rattling of his lungs.'

"That would be good, poor guy doesn't need to add the side effects of drugs to his list of troubles." Murdock was worried for his friend but BA looked outright miserable. "What is it big guy?"

"All this from one blow to the head, he has been hit so often and now this."

"BA, it was an accident, stop blaming yourself. Face doesn't and you shouldn't either."

"Faceman ain't in his right mind half the time. He may blame me when he's feeling better."

"No, he won't, you know him. He'll whine and drive us all nuts but he would never blame anybody other than himself. Try to get some more sleep guys; Murdock will have to leave here around 8 to get us the equipment…that means in 4 hours and there's no telling when Face will have us up again."

It wasn't Face who woke them next but the sound of the phone ringing outside in the van.

About 30 minutes prior to that Maggie was woken by the sound of her phone; Mrs. Holmes was worse and Mr. Holmes called for her to come. She drove as fast as she could fearing that Hannibal had called and needed her assistance but instead of bad news it was just the elderly couple waiting for her.

"Ella, James…what's it?"

"Mags, we've been up thinking since you left us. That boy needs medical help, he needs a doctor." Maggie had explained some of Face's condition to the concerned elderly couple after she had talked to Hannibal in the evening.

"I know and I'm doing all I can but they have to be careful."

"We understand that but Mags look, if you get this x-ray machine to them through Hank, how are you going to get the pictures? The post? Another trip from Hank? It's going to delay things and that man is suffering the consequences. They did so much for us and we want to help them. Do you think he can safely be moved?"

"Why? What are you thinking of?"

"Look, we have this apartment at the back of the house that's only used when the kids come to visit. They could use it and you could be close to your patient. The army is only watching your house and driving through. They never watched any other house, especially not out here."

"That would be great but it's not safe for them to come here, they could be spotted on the way."

"We've been thinking of that too. The back of our house is close to the woods and I have this barn about two miles away from here at the other end of the forest. They could hide their car there. That way, if they take the back roads, they never come near Bad Rock. They would have to carry the young man through the forest though."

"I don't know James, much as I would like to have him near, you know one of the others was shot in the thigh…I don't think he's up to walking two miles. On the other hand it's brilliant; here would be the last place the military would look. They don't expect them to come back, just want to get information about their whereabouts. I think we should let them decide."

"Then let's not waste time and call them." And that's what they did.

Hannibal ran out to the van and nearly pulled the phone out from the console in his need to hear Maggie's voice and get some advice.

John, how's Face?" Maggie asked right away.

"Not so good. He had a bad fever over night, but it broke early this morning."

"That's a good sign!" Maggie said brightly.

"Yeah, we thought so too, but his breathing is still labored and his chest seems awfully congested. Also, one of his pins is loose. I tried to tighten it, but I'm afraid to touch it anymore." Hannibal inhaled deeply and on the exhale said, "I really wish you were here with us."

"John, I think that Ella and James have come up with an idea that might make that possible." Maggie relayed their offer and silently prayed Hannibal would go for it. Not only was she worried about Face, she was also missing the company of his handsome colonel.

"That sounds perfect, Maggie. But that trip on foot through the forest worries me." Hannibal rolled an unlit cigar between his fingers as he tried to think of a possible solution. "Let me talk it over with the guys and I'll call you back."

Hannibal had all but vetoed the idea in his head as he told Murdock and B.A. about the Holmes' offer when B.A. barked out, "What we waitin' for, man? Let's go."

"B.A., it isn't that simple."

"Why not, Hannibal? Faceman need a doctor…"

Murdock smiled at Hannibal and batted his eyes, "…and Maggie needs you."

Hannibal rolled his eyes. "B.A., you were shot in the leg a few days ago…how are you going to walk two miles through the forest."

B.A. puffed out his chest. "I'd do anythin' at this point to help Face. I'd even fly."

Murdock jumped up. "That's it!"

"That's what, fool? The sound of your brain rattlin' up in your head again?"

"No…we can fly there."

"My bad…your brain ain't rattlin' cause you ain't got one," B.A. mumbled in reply.

"Murdock, even if we had a plane, which may I add we don't…wouldn't it be a bit too noticeable?" Hannibal questioned.

Murdock shook his head. "Not a plane…a chopper. And it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the Sheriff's chopper to fly over the area…they do regular checks all the time."

Hannibal's smile lit up his face. "Murdock…you're brilliant!"

B.A.'s frown had the opposite effect. "Murdock, you're crazy!"

"I prefer to think I'm a little bit of both," Murdock said with a heavy British accent.

Hannibal looked at B.A. who was looking a little green. "You okay with this, sergeant?"

"I said I would do anythin' to help the Faceman…I owe it to him."

Murdock sat back down hard, a somber look overtaking his features. "You're not the only one, B.A."

Hannibal lightly put his palm up to Face's head relieved to find it was no warmer than before. "I remember a time when all three of us owed Face at the same time…but it took us a good week to figure out what he had done." 'A week in which I made your life as difficult as possible in order to teach you a lesson for disobeying my orders,' Hannibal thought.

"When was that, Hannibal?" Murdock asked.

"I'll give you a hint…does the phrase 'I'm going to make you run this course until either the sun comes up or you pass out' ring a bell?" Unfortunately for Face, both happened and in that order.

Murdock and B.A. nodded as the memories came back. Hannibal went to call Maggie and they sat back waiting for her or Hank to return the call while Hannibal started telling the story.

"It was the month after we first broke Murdock out of the VA to go on a mission. That first mission was umm, a bit difficult and we decided to keep a low profile for some time, occasionally breaking you out to get you used to the real world again."

"Oh man, that first mission we was babysitting you more than doing our job."

"I don't remember too much of that time."

"You were a bit out of it. I wanted to wait some months more before we sprung you again but Face insisted we keep you around to reintegrate you. And then there was this client who was a bit paranoid but friendly. He thought someone was after him and wanted us to spend the nights in his house so he could rest safely. It was simple, required only one man at a time and best of all, he paid $500 per night. We all went there to get to know him and the lay of the land and he took an instant liking to you; showing you around the place and chatting with you while we looked for security risks. Face grumbled about the job right from the beginning. I took the first night, then BA and Face was on the third night. The morning after he came to me insisting to take your watch too. He claimed you were still too fragile to be left alone with a stranger. I didn't quite care and so Face went again and we kept that rhythm. When I showed up the ninth day the man was angry, telling me Face had not been doing his job but rather flirted with a young woman in the woods behind the house. He had pictures too. He gave us another chance; I was to make sure my man did his job or we pay back the $4000 we had received already and never come back or else he would call the military. I was livid, first thing the next morning I went to question Face and confronted him with the pictures.

'Wanna tell me why you're slacking on the job?'

'I…he…'

'Look, I don't even want to hear about it, just do your job, you'll take BA's watch too.'

With that I was gone. I couldn't believe it when I received the call the next day that Face had not shown up and I had one hour to return the $4500 we had received. I had no chance but do so and then went right to Face."

He opened his door and I had him by the collar, slamming him back into the next wall, my face only inches from his.

'You disobedient little son of a bitch, I'll teach you to follow my orders until you do nothing but that.'

'Hannibal, I…'

'I don't want any explanations from you. You have exactly 20 minutes to pack up your training gear and get your sorry behind to the warehouse.'

I shoved him to the ground and turned on my heal…as an afterthought I spat at him to bring you along. It was impossible to do any of this in 20 minutes but I didn't care. An hour later he arrived at the warehouse where BA and I were waiting. I told you my version of what had happened and dished out the punishment. Face was to run an obstacle course that he had to set up for three hours every evening until he learned to obey my commands. Plus he had to pay back the $4500 to the team."

"I remember that part. I was pissed at him for taking my job, telling him I could do my job by myself and he should not treat me like a three year old and that while all the time he was looking out for me and never gave up to integrate me in the team again."

"Yeah man, at a point we were ready to accept that you were a fool and couldn't handle weapons. But Face insisted, kept training with you and all. You still a fool, but he got you back on track."

"We all went out every evening to watch him running the course well into darkness, knowing how he hated to run in the darkness and using it as an extra punishment. He tried to tell us his reasons but we shut him off anytime he brought up the topic until he didn't even try again. After a week I thought it was time to let up on him and after his first round I called him over to us."

"I sure remember that speech. Never saw you that pissed at him before and him so defiant. I thought you two were gonna explode any minute and I would be left to take care of the fool.

'Face, I think you learned your lesson. I'll let up on you if you apologize to your team and promise to obey my commands in future.'

His eyes went dark and he drew himself to attention.

'I have nothing to apologize for and I would do exactly the same thing I did any day of the week, …Sir.'

That was the point you brought out your earlier statement of him running the course until the sun comes up."

"After he had collapsed we took him back to my apartment; I was feeling guilty like hell for pushing him that far and then he started to talk in his sleep.

'Take your hands of me you filth…..leave me alone….get away from me you creep.'

I thought he had a flashback to the time he was raped in the camps but then he went on.

'I won't let you get to Murdock…I'll keep him away from you….get away from me…I'm stronger than you, you filth…better not try that again….I'll never let you hurt any of the team.'

That didn't sound like Nam at all. He woke up shortly later and I then listened to his explanation, which I should have done over a week ago. The guy had hired us not to protect him but to get his hands on Face and Murdock. Face didn't tell me initially since he took Murdock's watch and was sure the guy would not try anything on me or BA. He thought he had to endure the guy to earn the money for the team in order to keep us from going on missions before Murdock was ready. After three days though he opted to watch the house from the outside rather than go in with the creep. The girl just happened to jog in the little forest behind the house and they chatted for a minute. "

"We all felt like crap after his confession. I couldn't remember what exactly the whole thing was about but I still know Face had protected me from something and paid for it."

"Poor guy couldn't move right for about a week…."

The ringing of the phone startled the three out of their memories.

"Maggie? What did Hank say?"

"He's right here, talk to him."

"Hi Colonel, we have one problem with your plan. While it's true that we have a chopper sweeping the area from time to time it belongs to the police station of the next town, we can call it in if we need it, but we can't fly. It has it's own pilot."

"Damn, then we have to think of something else. Thanks Hank." He hung up and sight in frustration.

"What's it colonel?"

"We can't use the chopper, neither Hank nor the deputy can fly it and we can't risk involving the police pilot."

"Then we walk through the forest."

"BA, you're not up to it. It's not an option."

"I know what I'm up to. I don't even need to keep your pace. You two carry the Faceman and I'll follow at my own pace."

A moan from the bed got their attention and Hannibal went over to feel the sweaty forehead again. "Damn, he's getting warmer again. Seems it was just the Tylenol that cooled him down for a while and now that it's leaving his system he's burning up again."

"No two ways Hannibal , we're goin' over there, let's pack up and move. Murdock go get my tools outta the van."

"What for, B.A.," Hannibal asked.

B.A. walked over to the small couch in the corner of the room and began removing the pillows. "I'm gonna make a stretcher for you to carry Face on...should be big enough."

"Nice!" Hannibal smiled. "What can I do?"

"See if you can find a large stick or branch outside so I can make me a crutch to use."

"On it," Hannibal said and passed Murdock on the way back in. "Help B.A. if he needs it."

Together Murdock and B.A. removed the box spring from the couch and removed the curtains from the windows to use as a cover. When Hannibal returned with a few sturdy branches for B.A. to choose from he said, "I'm good to go. Go on and start packin'."

B.A. was almost done with the stretcher when he noticed two blue eyes staring at him. "Hey, Faceman."

"Hey," Face croaked back. "What you making?"

"A stretcher to carry you on...we're about to relocate to a place where Maggie can tend to you."

Face began to cough. It was the kind of cough that hurt and made his chest feel like it was on fire. B.A. put down his project and walked over to Face's side. "Here man, take a puff of this," B.A. said putting the inhaler up to his mouth. Satisfied that Face was breathing easier a few minutes later, he got back to work.

"What…happened…to the…stretcher we had…in the van?"

"That old foldable thing? We used it to transport you from the first motel to the next one. I made some cuts in the metal frame and bent one side of the handles upward to attach a wheel board. After that it just couldn't be used again and we disposed of it. It wouldn't have worked with your halo and all, was too narrow and you need to lay on something flat, not hang in a cloth bag between two posts. The cloth had some tears in it too. When you're up to it you need to get us one of those modern ones that fold away really small and are far more comfortable."

"Can...I...help?" Face asked wearily.

Without looking up B.A. responded, "Nah...man, you just rest."

"Please...need to do...something...to help."

The desperate sound of his friend's voice made B.A. stop and reconsider. "Okay, man. You think you can cut up this last curtain into strips that I can use to secure the covering of the stretcher and also use to help me make my crutch?"

"Sure...no problem." But it was more difficult than Face had anticipated. The fabric was thick and strong and the scissors he was using were dull. But he was determined to complete his job.

B.A. watched out of the corner of his eye as Face struggled through his work. He saw him stop and close his eyes for a moment and grimace in pain. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah," Face gasped out. "Just a twinge...m'alright." But by the time Face was finished his head was throbbing again and he felt dizzy and nauseous. "Done," he managed to tell B.A. but then the room began tilting and he let out a loud groan. At that moment Murdock and B.A. came back into the room.

"Face...what's wrong?" Murdock asked.

"What are you doing with those scissors?"

B.A. looked down sheepishly. "My fault...he wanted to help...I shouldn't have let him."

"No you shouldn't have," Hannibal scolded.

"Stop," Face cried in frustration, but his own voice made his head ache more. "I can...make my...own decisions."

"Sure you can, muchacho. But you're sick right now."

"I'm sick...but stop...treating me...like I'm...gonna break. We need to move." Face was feeling worse and he knew that if they didn't go soon they would miss their window and it would only become harder.

It took close to an hour for B.A. to finish the stretcher and to get everything, including themselves, into the van. B.A. worked on his crutch as they drove along the unpaved road heading toward the barn. Face remained awake and felt every bump as it sent pains through his head and back. He was hot and sweaty and doing everything in his power not to let the others know he was suffering.

When they finally stopped a couple of hours later he could have cried for joy at being able to lie still for a bit. Unfortunately, it was all too soon before Hannibal and Murdock helped him stand and walk over to the stretcher laid out on the ground.

"I did the best I could," B.A. said to Face while testing out his new crutch. "But it ain't gonna be the most comfortable thing."

"Looks great, B.A. Thanks," Face smiled weakly. But once Face way actually on the stretcher and felt the sharpness of the springs and wires shooting into every part of his body that was not covered by the halo vest, he knew he was in for one heck of a ride.

Murdock took the front and Hannibal the back end. B.A. walked behind them all at a much slower pace, but at least his crutch was doing the trick and keeping weight off of his bad leg. It was slow going through the trees and overgrown foliage. Face was gripping the sides of the stretcher and clenching his teeth tightly as he felt like he had razor blades cutting through his skin and his head was about to explode. The blanket BA had put on top of the box spring didn't do much for his comfort.

It seemed like an eternity before Murdock announced triumphantly, "There it is...there's the house!" He then tripped on a root and went stumbling forward. The abrupt forward movement pulled the stretcher out of Hannibal's hands.

Face's stomach dropped and then he felt the impact as he hit the ground hard. A pain that he had never felt before in his life shot through his skull and he let out a piercing scream.

Face was secured to the stretcher by a strap over his chest and one over his thighs. It was meant to stop him from rolling off but not from sliding up if the end of the stretcher hit the ground. Nobody had thought of such a scenario.

Murdock and Hannibal were at Face's side in an instant. He had his hands at his head bucking his body against the restraints in blinding pain. The bars of the halo device were bent to the side and instead of straight held Face's head at an odd angle now. The loose pin had finally come off and Face was bleeding from the site where it was previously located.

"Owww, owww, Han'bal, hurts so….make it stop…please….ooowwww…make it stop." Face was sobbing in pain and pleading for someone to end the pain.

"Shh, kid, I know. Tell me where it hurts." He was relieved to see Face moving his arms and legs while bucking against the restraints."

"Owww…please….ooowww." Face was in agony

"Murdock, there's morphine in the kit bag. Murdock, pull it together. Lieutenant, tell me where it hurts."

"Oh god….please…neck…back….head…owww…please….Han'bal, do something."

Inside the house that was about 600 feet ahead of them the couple heard the screams and could think of only one person whom they could come from. James got on the phone to call Maggie while Ella hurried out the back door. BA too had heard the screams and sped up his pace to get to Face. They arrived about the same time just as Hannibal injected Face with the morphine from their first aid kit. He would react badly to it later but for now the only thing that mattered was to get him out of this pain.

"What happened here, man?"

"Later, BA. Kid, kid can you hear me?"

Face wasn't responding again, he was consumed by the pain. It took a while for the morphine to work and even then Face was not completely out of the pain. He lay there whimpering and tears run down the side of his head.

They proceeded to carry him inside the house and arrived just as Maggie burst through the front door.

"My God…what happened?"

"I…I…tripped…my fault…I…oh Face…so sorry," Murdock was babbling.

"Get him onto the kitchen table…I need a flat surface," Maggie instructed trying to ignore the moans and groans from her patient.

Once Face was in place Hannibal held a gauze pad to stop the bleeding from the pin hole with one hand and held Face's hand with the other. He looked at B.A. imploring with his eyes that he get the near hysterical Murdock out of there.

"C'mon, Murdock…let's give Maggie room to work." Murdock shook his head 'no'. "I ain't asking, man…I'm telling you that we need to go." B.A.'s voice was firm yet soft in tone and did the trick of drawing Murdock away.

"Anything we can do to help?" James asked.

"Yes…James if you could get me the x-ray machine on the living room table. And, Ella, can you get a bowl of ice ready to go in the freezer and some clean towels."

The elderly couple nodded and left to complete their tasks while Maggie turned her attention back to the lieutenant. "Face, I need you to tell me what you're feeling."

"Hurts," was all he said.

"I know you're hurting, honey. But I need to know exactly where." After Face repeated the previous list he had given Hannibal he added, "right shoulder…hurts…bad."

"Shoulder?" Hannibal repeated in shock.

Maggie ran her hands across the limb and frowned when she felt that the joint was indeed out of place. "Damn…dislocated."

Hannibal looked confused. "But how is that possible? He was still on the stretcher when Murdock tripped and I lost my grip."

"Perhaps on impact it was jarred out of place…has he ever dislocated this shoulder before?"

Hannibal rubbed his hands over his eyes as the awful memory struck him. "Yeah…badly…in Nam."

"That would make it more susceptible to happening again. I want to x-ray his complete torso, head and neck areas before we do anything at all."

James returned with the machine and Maggie set up as Hannibal talked to Face. The morphine had kicked in fully and while he was far from comfortable, the pain was tolerable.

"You're going to be just fine. Maggie's going to patch you up and you'll be as good as new."

"I…was…never any…good," Face muttered. "Nothing but…trouble."

"Don't talk like that. You're one of the best men I know." Maggie Indicated to Hannibal that she was ready. "Maggie is going to take some x-rays and you're going to have to stay real still. Do you think you can do that?"

Face didn't answer, but instead closed his eyes. Hannibal felt the hand he was holding go limp. "He's out."

"Let's go then."


	13. Chapter 13

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 13

Maggie began taking shots from various angles as Hannibal sat by and studied her face for possible reactions. Finally he couldn't take the suspense anymore. "What do you think, Mags?"

Maggie couldn't help but smile as she said, "I don't have x-ray vision, John…thus the machine I'm using. Once I'm done I develop these and see what they show."

"I know, but do you have any gut reaction from what you see on the outside?"

Maggie sighed not wanting to get the man's hopes up falsely. "All appears okay from the outside…except for the shoulder of course. I've palpitated behind his neck and the cervical vertebrae seem to be in line. The fact that he is able to move his limbs freely is another positive sign. He knew who we were and was answering questions. Now, I can't be certain until I study the pictures, but at this moment I'm most worried about his fever and chest congestion."

"What do we do now?"

"Now I get to work with these," she said holding up the sheets of paper while walking toward the door, "and you stay with Face. When I know more we can see about removing the halo."

Murdock and B.A. joined Hannibal in the room a few minutes later. "I'm sorry, Colonel, for panicking the way I did."

"I can't say I blame you, Murdock, I was freaking out on the inside myself," Hannibal admitted.

Hannibal explained to his men what Maggie had said ending with, "Oh yeah…and he managed to dislocate his shoulder too."

"The same one?" B.A. asked.

"Yeah…and now I can't get the images out of my head of how it happened the first time."

All three men felt chills run up and down their spine as they thought back…

It was an easy mission for a change and they sat in the chopper going back to base. They hadn't encountered any problems, nobody had so much as a scratch and the mood was good. Even BA seemed relaxed in the chopper. Apart from Murdock, Hannibal, BA and Face there were five others on board. Ray, Hendrickson, Hernandez and two Vietnamese allies. They were joking around until all in a sudden the chopper developed problems. Under them was dense jungle with no way to land the chopper that was bucking and swinging wildly. Everybody held on for dear life as the chopper crashed into a group of particularly tall trees and finally came to rest between three very big branches. Then there was nothing but silence for a few seconds. Everybody had been tossed around in the back leaving only Murdock and the co pilot in their seats where they were strapped in.

'Everybody alright back there?'

Hannibal was the first to get his bearings and took stock of his men. BA was staring straight ahead, obviously shocked but other than that appeared unharmed. Ray was rubbing at his head which he had hit hard, turned out he was concussed. Hendrickson was lying in the very back of the wreck and appeared to have a broken ankle. Murdock and Hernandez were strapped in their seats and from what he could tell okay apart from some minor cuts from the broken window. He couldn't locate the two Vietnamese and Face.

'Face, Duan, Tuc.' Hannibal shouted at the top of his lungs. Those three had been closest to the opened door.

'We got thrown out of chopper. Tuc's unconscious but breathing. Nothing broken.'

'Are you okay?'

'Yes.'

'Is Face with you.'

'No. Can not see him.'

A groan from the floor of the chopper got Hanniabl's attention. Then he saw something moving under a pile of boxes and packs. 'Face' he got to his knees and help remove the things that had been tossed on top of Face who was just coming to.

'Damn that hurts.'

'Face are you hurt?'

'Can't move my arm colonel, seems I'm trapped under something.' Face had been tossed to the floor and had held on to some pipes that were fixed under the seats. When the trees mangled the chopper his lower arm got trapped by the metal. There was no way he could move his arm out of this position.

'Anything else?'

'No, rest is okay.' He gritted his teeth against the pain in his arm.

'Okay, we're about fourteen to fifteen feet over the ground, no telling how secure the chopper is, everybody out here before we drop down. Murdock, fix a rope to the tree and get yourself out. Hernandez you get Ray and Hendrickson to the ground, then follow them.'

Face was lying next to the door. He moved his body closer to the seats to allow the others to pass.

'We need BA to get you out kid. BA, wake up already, you and this damn fear of flying, Face needs you.'

That got through and BA started to blink and was out of his seat in a second. The abrupt movement made the whole chopper sway.

'BA, sit down or we all crash to the ground. I need you here to free Face.'

When the others were out BA got to work to free his friend but the metal wouldn't budge. 'Ah man you're really trapped here.'

'Geez, thanks for the update.'

'Hannibal I need a crow bar or somethin' like that.'

'What about this here?' Hannibal pointed to a metal bar of the chopper that was screwed behind the seats.

'Could do. Let me get some tools and we unscrew it.'

BA got two screw drivers and tossed one to Hannibal. As he shifted his weight to be able to unscrew the bar a branch gave out and the chopper suddenly shifted to the side and skidded about three feet down before it was once again stopped by a branch. BA and Hannibal got thrown out of the wreck but their fall was slowed down by small branches and foliage. Face however was trapped. He did his best to hold onto the seats with his free arm but as the wreck came to a sudden stop the impact was too much. He lost his grip and slid out of the door.

As Hannibal fell he heard the screeching of metal against wood and then a piercing scream of pain. He looked up from where he had landed and saw an image he would never forget in his life. Face was dangling out of the chopper held only by the arm that was trapped. His shoulder was clearly dislocated and he screamed like a wounded animal.

Hendrickson was a medic and had been patching up the wounded when the chopper moved. He crawled over to Hannibal and looked up.

'Someone needs to climb up and inject him with morphine, then cut off the arm at the elbow.'

'What? Are you nuts?'

'Come on Colonel, this arm is not going to survive anyway. The shoulder is dislocated, probably broken, the elbow is broken for sure the way he's hanging and there's no telling how the rest of the arm looks like. How else do you want to get him down here?'

'No chance. BA, will a sturdy branch do instead of a crow bar?'

'Is worth trying.'

BA picked up a branch, secured it on his back and climbed back up. Murdock climbed on a different tree that was closer to Face now, injected him with the morphine and secured him with a rope so he wouldn't fall down when BA got his hand free. It took BA a while but finally he had Face's arm free and Face fell a short distance before he hung in the rope and Murdock lowered him into Hannibal's waiting arms. Face was out of it before he arrived there. They were not far from the base and reached it within 30 minutes of walking. To everyone's immense relief his lower arm was intact and he made a full recovery.

They were brought out of their thoughts by Maggie reentering the room with a small IV Bag that she immediately connected to Face' s IV port.

"What did you find?"

"Nothing is dislocated. He was in immense pain because of the way the halo is bent and forcing his neck to the side but once we remove it and put his neck straight that will subside. The pin didn't only come lose but broke out, breaking a small chip off his skull bone in the process. That's not a big deal but very, very painful and explains why he was so out of it with pain. I only have to remove the chip with a tweezers and it should heal fine. The bent halo pulled the shoulder up which is probably one of the reasons it dislocated, combined with bad luck, his shoulder caught the impact in a bad position allowing it to pop out of the socket. But it's not completely out and nothing's broken or torn, he's lucky. I don't like what I see on the chest x-ray though. Now let's remove the halo and bring his head back into a straight position."

Together they unscrewed the pieces of the damaged halo.

"BA, can you repair it?"

"Is that really necessary Maggie? Does he still need it, he's lying down and the pin is gone."

"John, he has to wear it for at least two weeks and now's just a couple of days. The ligaments are not healed and he's bound to do sudden movements with his vomiting and the coughing fits. And now that I have started him on antibiotics it's going to get worse from what you told me."

"Why don't we replace it with the brace BA fashioned?"

"There's no traction to that one."

"And if I make the neck longer so that there's traction?"

"Then it will press down on his injured shoulder. Trust me, the halo is the best thing for him right now if you don't come up with any other ideas."

"I don't know, man...I don't wanna mess around with somethin' so serious as Face's neck. It will only take me a few minutes to fix this one up."

"Okay," Hannibal reluctantly agreed. "What about his shoulder?"

"It is going to hurt him greatly and I don't want to put it back in until he has the support of the brace." Maggie turned to Murdock. "Can you hold Face's legs down?" Looking back to Hannibal she asked, "And John, can you take his shoulders? I'm going to manipulate his neck back to a neutral position and then take one more x-ray. This may cause him to wake up."

As Maggie predicted, Face eyes fluttered open as she placed her hands on him. His vision was blurry and he couldn't tell where he was, but just knew that he was being held down and somebody had their hands around his neck. He opened his mouth to scream for help, but no sound would come out.

Hannibal recognized the look of sheer terror in Face's eyes and also knew what was about to happen next if he didn't intervene,

Face's eyes flashed and fear turned to a cold hard stare.

"Maggie, let go and back away from Face slowly," Hannibal ordered clamly. "B.A., I'm going to need you up here."

Maggie had never heard Hannibal sound so serious and she immediately did as told. B.A. took Hannibal's place allowing the colonel to move up by Face's head. "Face, it's Hannibal."

Face still couldn't see, but he could hear. The trouble was that he didn't believe his own ears.

Hannibal could see the tension in Face's body and realized he wasn't getting through. "Face, you're safe. You've been hurt and we're trying to help you."

Face swallowed hard wanting to believe that it really was Hannibal, but it had to be a trick. "No...not Han'bal...he...wouldn't...hurt me."

"No, kid, I would never hurt you." Hannibal's voice cracked with emotion. "Murdock and B.A. are here too."

Face was wavering...the enemy wouldn't know all the names of his friends. But still, he couldn't be sure and let his guard down.

"Hey, Faceman," B.A. said. "I'm right here wit' you, man."

"Me too, Facey. You're going to be just fine."

Face was finally convinced and tears began to well up. "It really...is...you. Sorry...can't...can't...see too...good."

"It's okay, kid. We have a doctor here who is going to patch you up."

"Mag...Maggie?" Face asked.

Hannibal looked up at Maggie and smiled brightly. "Yes...Maggie. You remember...that's good...real good."

Face almost chuckled, but it turned into a painful cough. "How could...I forget. She...she's...real pretty. Even though...she likes...to stick me...with sharp...things."

"Thanks...I think," Maggie laughed. They all laughed at Face's attempt at humor and his false bravado.

"Face, do you remember what happened?" Hannibal asked.

"Think so. Murdock tripped...you okay, Murdock?"

Murdock shook his head a Face's typical concern for everybody but himself. "Just fine, muchacho. 'I wish I could say the same for you,' he thought.

Maggie had moved next to Hannibal at this point and started to explain. "When you hit the ground the halo vest was damaged. The good news is that I didn't find any new damage to your neck."

"The bad?" Face rasped.

"As you may feel, your shoulder is out of place." Face groaned his acknowledgement. "You are also quite a sick young man...running a fever and showing some chest congestion."

"I'm fine," he insisted, and this time the rest of the room groaned.

"Well, you will be. But first we need to tend to your ailments. The guys were holding you down and I had my hands on your neck when you woke because I was about to straighten out your neck a little more. It was pushed to the side when you fell and I didn't want to touch it until I had an x-ray done. I think it best if I finish that up and right away take care of your shoulder before it's out any longer. B.A. can hold your head still during the shoulder reduction just in case. Then I can x-ray both at once and see if we can give you back your halo. Is that okay?"

"Yeah...feels bad...way it...is." He smiled slightly, "but as for the halo...I'm no...angel."

"Cute, lieutenant," Maggie smiled while thinking that he sure looked like one even in his current state.

B.A. went back to his halo repairs and Hannibal resumed his original position. Maggie put her hands once again on Face's neck and took a deep breath. "Try to relax...If you tense up it will be more difficult. Okay, on the count of three I'm going to start moving slowly...one, two, three...

The pain that shot through his neck was unbearable. His good hand shot up to hold Maggie's wrist. "Stop…please…stop…hurts."

"I know it hurts but we need to get your neck back into a straight position. You're halfway through already. BA, could you?"

BA came over holding Face's hand as Maggie continued to turn his head, stretched and torn ligaments and cramped up muscles making it hard to take, not to speak of the raging headache he had. It was over fast though and he sighed in relief and exhaustion.

"All done, you did real well. Now I'm going to set your shoulder."

"Great…can't wait."

Everybody got into position and Face trembled in anticipation. He reached out with his good arm in the general direction of Hannibal but missed him. "Han'bal?"

"I'm here kid, right here."

"Face, how's your vision." Maggie was concerned.

"Blurry…see…shapes."

"Okay, let's get this over with, on the count of three, one…" Maggie pulled hard, the shoulder went back in place and Face's eyes rolled back.

"Whoa, what ever happened to two and three?"

"Didn't want him to tense up."

"Next time inform your assistants, he almost kicked me clean through the room."

"Yeah, well, couldn't be helped."

"And to think that he's doped up with morphine…" Murdock was shaking his head

"It's slowly crawling out of his system but it still took the edge off. Now let me drain this cuts again before he comes to, I don't like the way his vision seems to be fading."

"In between he told me it was almost back to normal." Hannibal too was concerned and watched carefully as Maggie pulled the bandage away. The cuts were seeping puss again and the underlying bruise seemed to be back and even bigger.

"How's that possible? I cut it open."

"It means it hasn't stopped bleeding, or started again. We have to watch it."

Maggie cleaned and drained the wounds and when she was satisfied dressed them with a loose gauze. "The antibiotics will take care of the inflammation and he should start to heal." Maggie was preparing another syringe as she talked.

"What's that?"

"Another shot of morphine."

"Why?"

"I need to set a new pin for the halo."

"Oh no."

"Sorry, there's no way around it. BA? How's it coming along?"

"Fine, just some 20 minutes more I guess."

Maggie was now at Face's side ready to inject the morphine.

"Wait, he reacts real bad to morphine it's just we didn't have anything else in our first aid kit, can't you give him something else?"

"Once you started with it I don't want to introduce another one into his system. He's going to react to the morphine anyway, the reaction will be worse the more I add but if I introduce another one or a sedative he'll have to battle the reactions to two substances at a time and it will be so much worse. Hold him still for me just in case."

Maggie set the new pin without even causing Face to stir and proceeded to listen to his lungs again.

"What is it Maggie? How bad are his lunges?"

"Well, there's a medical term for it….pneumonia. We caught it early but it still is pneumonia. I hope the antibiotics will show some effect soon, right now he's still getting worse."

"Damn." Now that the battle was over Hannibal looked around the kitchen they were currently standing inside and took notice of the elderly couple standing in the far corner and looking quiet shell shocked.

"Oh, sorry for cursing, I haven't even introduced us. I'm John Smith or Hannibal, the guy working on the device is BA Baracus, this is HM Murdock and the one bleeding on your kitchen table is Templeton Peck. We are so grateful for your invitation."

"You're welcome." Ella was the first to find her voice. "The apartment is all set. You only have to follow the corridor outside this kitchen and go upstairs. It's not too big, a sleeping room with two queen sized beds, a kitchen, bathroom and living area."

"Thank you."

"I get to share with Facey and you two can take the other bed, we can tell stories all night, it will be fun."

"Shut up fool, Faceman needs rest and no story telling."

"Mags, don't you want to move your patient there? He can't stay on the table; it's too small, look how the lower part of his legs are hanging down. He's not comfortable."

"He first has to get back in the halo vest Ella, until then he needs a flat surface. Once we get it back on him we can move Face into a bed and prop him up with some pillows to ease his breathing."

B.A. had the vest completed and it was being ever so carefully maneuvered into place by Maggie when Face started to mumble and moan in a little boy's voice. "Where's my mama? Don't go…please. Mama…come back."

"Oh dear…what is that all about?" Ella asked.

"Face grew up in an orphanage," Murdock explained. "Sometimes when he's sick he has vivid dreams about his mother."

"Oh the poor dear," Ella said resting a hand on her cheek.

Murdock smiled at the older woman. "It's okay, ma'am, we're his family now."

Face was still talking to his mother even as he was moved to the room and put on a bed. "I'll be good…promise…be a good…boy."

"There's nothing more I can do for Face now," Maggie said while hanging his IV bag from the bed post and adjusting his pillows. "He's on a very strong antibiotic and the morphine should wipe him out and manage his pain for a few hours."

Hannibal put his arm around Maggie's waist and gave a little squeeze. "Thanks Maggie…for everything."

"I want you to call me the minute he wakes up or if you notice anything wrong…you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," they all saluted in response to her no nonsense tone.

"Funny," she said rolling her eyes and fighting a grin. "I'm surrounded by comedians…wonderful."

"Mama…hurts. Please…help me," Face was groaning.

Maggie's eyes filled with tears and she leaned into Hannibal, "He's breaking my heart."

"He's been breaking girls' hearts for years," Hannibal joked trying to mask his own pain.

Once the team was alone again they pulled chairs up to Face's bedside not wanting to be far away in case he needed them.

"Why? Please…mama…no…no."

"I don't remember Faceman ever callin' out for his mama so much since he got that bad case of the stomach flu a few years ago."

Murdock winced at the memory. "Oh…that was awful."

_They were in the van heading back to L.A. after a job when… _

_'BA, I need a restroom.'_

_'What's it with you? We've been stopping more than going. I ain't gonna stop again for the next hour and that's it.'_

_It had been a long day and they were all tired. Face had not been feeling well but had been too embarrassed to say so. Rather he asked for stops every so often, the last one had been just 15 minutes ago. After BA's outburst Face didn't say anything again and they drove on for a couple of minutes until BA passed the next rest stop._

_'BA, you just passed the place. I told you I need a restroom.'_

_'An' I told you I ain't gonna stop.'_

_'But…'_

_'Can it lieutenant, you behaved like a little kid today. You'll surely be able to hold it for some time after we just did stop for you and I didn't see you drinking large amounts. We want to arrive home sometime tomorrow.'_

_They still had about 600 miles ahead of them and it was getting late._

_Face didn't say anything again but couldn't help to double over as a particularly nasty stomach cramp hit him some minutes later._

_'Uhm Colonel, I think we better stop soon. The Faceman doesn't look so good.'_

_Hannibal turned around in his seat. 'Face, Face…oh no. BA, pull over.'_

_Face was pale and clutching his stomach but at least he was able to sit up again. Hannibal helped him behind some bushes to do his business in some privacy but stayed close just in case. When they returned Face's head was beet red with embarrassment and he climbed back into his seat without a word._

_'Get us to the next town BA, we need to stop until he's better.'_

_They soon found a small town with a motel but unfortunately there was only one free room with a little bathroom attached. That meant they were all sharing and there was very little privacy for Face._

"Man, he was so embarrassed, apologizin' all the time as if it was his fault."

"And the medicine wiped him out completely. He was so out of his mind, calling for his mother, begging her to not leave him, to take him back, crying for her to come back for him, it was heartbreaking to watch." Hannibal had a mental image of a little Face going through what he thought was one of the most terrible phase of his life, closely followed by the VC camp, and that image was coming back now. Being so small and getting left behind must have been cruel, probably even more than what the VC could do to him when he was an adult.

"Yeah, and he was sick for long. We spent over a week in that hole before we could move on and then he was sick for another week before we could leave him on his own. I did call him three times a day from the VA just to check on him and make sure his condition wouldn't worsen."

"You don't know what we're in for here. He is still pretty out of it from the concussion and Maggie just said she put him on a strong dose of antibiotics."

A groan from the bed got their attention. "He's coming to. Murdock, go call Maggie."

It took another few minutes of groans and moans until pain filled blue eyes looked up at them from the bed. He took a few seconds to get his bearings and pain changed to terror and fear. "Please, please just let me go…please…I'm not going to tell anyone…please…"

Hannibal took his hands in his talking soothingly but he pulled away jarring his shoulder in the process. He grimaced in pain."Please, please stop…stop testing your drugs on me."

"Holmes, no one is testing drugs on you, you're sick, you need medicine."

"No, no…you made me sick…your drugs."

"Oh man, I hope Murdock will come back fast, he trusts him."

"M….Murdock? Who's that?"

"Face…Faceman, his real name is Murdock." BA had forgotten that Holmes thought Murdock was Face.

Murdock had waited for Maggie to arrive from her office and just entered the door with her.

Hannibal was fast to introduce her in order to tell her what they were dealing with. "Holmes, this is Maggie, also a doctor."

"Let me go….please…no more…please."

Maggie touched his forehead while BA and Hannibal held him in place. "Your fever has gone up again, Holmes open your mouth for me to put a thermometer under your tongue."

He clamped his mouth shut. It was Murdock's turn. "Come on Holmes, just a thermometer, it won't hurt you." No reaction.

Maggie figured a nine year old would have enough pride so she tried blackmail. "Open up or I'll have to pull down your pants and take your temperature elsewhere."

His eyes widened a bit more and he reluctantly opened his mouth a fraction for the thermometer to go in.

"See, doesn't hurt, just keep it under your tongue and breathe through your nose."

Maggie took it out again and cursed under her breath. "Okay you need medicine." To Hannibal she said, "He took the kids version of Tylenol well, it's softer and I don't want to introduce anything new if it doesn't need to be." Then she turned back to Face. "Holmes remember those chewable pills you took earlier on, the ones that taste like candy? We'll give you some more of it."

"No, no…no more."

"But Holmes, you trust me, don't you? They taste good and they help you." Murdock tried his luck.

"No…I know I could not trust someone they call Face. You tricked me before…I took them and then my head hurt like hell…and….and when I woke up…my shoulder hurt…I won't take them again." And with that he clamped his mouth shut.

"Damnit," Hannibal mumbled in frustration, but it was loud enough for Face to hear.

"I'm…I'm sorry…sir," he cowered. "Please…don't…don't…hit me."

Hannibal bit his lip. "Oh kid…I would never hit you."

"No…but I would," B.A. said softly.

"I didn't say that, B.A."

"I know you didn't, colonel. I know." But still B.A. moved further away from the group.

Hannibal would have to deal with B.A. later; right now Face, or Holmes, looked terrified. "Nobody is going to hit you," he said looking Face straight in the eye.

"You're not?"

They all shook their heads 'no' and Murdock added, "We promise."

"But…why do…I feel…so bad? Took your…medicine…why…do I feel…worse?" Face's breathing had an increasing hitch to it.

Maggie held out the pills in her hand again. "These aren't making you sick. They are to reduce your fever and help with the pain some. You feel worse because the drugs have worn off and because you were in another accident."

Face looked bewildered. "I was?"

"Yes," Maggie affirmed. "Now will you please take your medicine?"

"Okay," Face said holding out a shaking hand. They hadn't hit him like all the others so he figured he owed them the benefit of the doubt. But before he had a chance to put them in his mouth he was hit by a fit of coughing. His whole body shook sending waves of pain up and down his back, neck and head. It also served to jolt his mind back to the present time.

As the coughing subsided the pain remained so severe that it made him nauseous. "Ugh…guys…"

"Facey?" Murdock asked.

"Yeah."

"You're back!"

"Huh? Back…where?" he slurred. His stomach was rolling…the bile rising. "Gonna…be sick."

Maggie grabbed a basin and said to Hannibal, "help him lean forward and hold him while he…um…you know."

Face was violently ill and he felt as if it would never stop. In between heaves his could barely catch his breath, especially since his breathing was compromised to begin with. He was flushed and sweating profusely by the time he was through and Hannibal eased him back down. He was also exhausted and his eyes began to close.

"Not yet, Face," Maggie said gently. "You need to get this Tylenol into your system. Just chew these and then you can take a nice long nap." Face did as told and was out in seconds. "I'm going to dispose of this mess and will make a pot of coffee. I have a feeling we're going to need it."


	14. Chapter 14

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 14

Once alone Murdock moved closer to where B.A. was seated and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "You alright, big guy?"

B.A. didn't have a chance to answer as Hannibal who was still standing by the bed and looking down at Face said, "I was wrong, you know. I told Face I would never hit him...but I did."

"If you're talking about Jamestown, colonel, that doesn't count," Murdock replied. "It was part of the plan…and I seem to recall Face hitting you back."

Hannibal shook his head. "No…that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when we were in Texas trying to save that dude ranch, remember?"

Murdock and B.A. did remember, but they wished they didn't. It had been an ugly page in their book, and something they'd rather not think about. Still, Hannibal turned around and began to tell the story.

"It had been a long day and I was in a bad mood all day. That night I had way too much to drink and the kid kept pushing all my buttons, had done so for days but it still isn't an excuse for the way I reacted. Right then he was whining about having to do sentry duty while no one was showing up anyway. So it was a lousy job and it took way too long for the bad guys to be drawn out and we were all tired after working as cowboys all day and doing sentry duty at night but it wasn't as if we had much choice. We needed to fit in without raising suspicions and we needed a job that paid. After having to pay for Face's hospital bill…remember, when he broke his wrist…and being out of job for two months we needed money."

"I had fun."

"Shut up fool, you always have fun."

"He kept whining and complaining and I kept reacting. I shoved him and he shoved back and that was when I snapped and punched him in the jaw. Kid landed right in a pile of cow dung. With that one punch I destroyed so much trust that we had worked hard to build up."

"I don't think it was the punch. Ever thought that Face deliberately pushed your buttons to see how far he could go?"

"What do you mean Murdock?"

"He's no idiot. He knew he was pushing his luck. He always whines but this one was heavy and he was clearly overdoing it. So maybe he didn't know how much you had to drink that night but he knew damn well you were in a bad mood and yet he didn't back down as he would usually do. He kept on trying to find out what would happen if you had enough of him."

"I guess he found out, or rather his jaw did."

"No, not his jaw, his heart."

"Huh?"

"I guess the fool is trying to tell you that it wasn't the punch but the words that followed that did most damage."

_It was a painful memory for all of them, not only Face. Murdock had woken up 30 minutes before his shift started and since he couldn't sleep more anyway he decided to go and relieve Face ahead of time. When he rounded the corner he saw Hannibal and Face chest to chest and knew he could never separate the two if it became ugly. He hurried of to get BA but by the time they came back it was too late, Face was on the ground and Hannibal was spiting his final words at him. They stopped short at the acerbic tone of voice._

_'You think you're working harder than we do? Think you don't need to get your hands dirty? Tell you what, you're nothing special, the fact that you get us things and we let you tag along doesn't make you special. You can be replaced any day.' After that he crouched low close to Face and sniffed the air, 'go and change, you're disgusting.' With that he turned and left Face lying in the cow dung._

"You're probably right. Next morning when my head had cleared I realized what I did and waited for the kid to wake up so I could apologize, only he was up for hours working with the other cowboys and I didn't see him until lunch. I only got the chance to apologize in the evening but the damage was done. It took months to rebuild some of his trust and get the insecurities in check. Wonder which part hurt him the most, it was like I punched him over and over again with my words."

"Disgusting."

The low voice from the bed startled them.

"Face, I thought you were sleeping, how are you?"

"Disgusting."

"Huh?"

"That hurt most. People…people have told me…lots of things…over the years…that was…new."

"Face, you know that I was drunk and meant the cow dung on you, right?"

"Did you?"

"Oh kid, I'm so sorry." Hannibal stroked over Face's short hair and frowned. "You're still too warm, the Tylenol should be working by now.

"No…Murdock's right…I ….deliberately."

"But why? Why did you feel you needed to test me?"

"When…when I broke my…wrist, I was…stupid…cost us all…short of money…two months..out….out of…commission. ..You…scold me…but…but …stick…with me….wanted….know why. I'm tag…tag along…not part." A coughing fit stopped him from talking more.

When Face had quieted down again Hannibal said, "It wasn't your fault you broke your wrist…it was an accident."

"True…but was…my fault for…not saying anything."

_It had been a down period for the team and without any missions Hannibal set up an obstacle course to keep them sharp. Face was making his way down a muddy steep hill when his feet slipped out from under him. He put out his arm to brace his fall and all his weight came down onto it._

_Face heard a snap and felt the searing pain…there was no question it was broken. But Hannibal was expecting them all to finish the course in the allotted time, so Face forced himself up, blocked out the pain, and pushed himself onward. He was the last to finish, and he barely made it. Hannibal didn't look impressed, so Face decided not to say anything about his wrist until later._

_But that night as he studied his wrist in the bathroom of the motel, it didn't look all that bad. It was only slightly swollen and nothing appeared to the naked eye to be out of place. Face decided not to say anything to the others. They had enough problems to deal with without him crying like a baby over a simple broken bone that would heal by itself with time. He popped some aspirin and an ice pack and settled in for the night._

_It was Face's left wrist so at first he was able to get by without alerting anybody that there was a problem. But as the days passed, the pain wasn't lessening and about a week later Face noticed that his fingers felt numb and cold to the touch. A week after that he was still experiencing the numbness in addition to sharp shooting pains up his entire arm. That's when he knew he had to go to Hannibal._

_'Hannibal, can I talk to you for a minute?'_

_'Sure kid, what's up?'_

_Face cradled his broken wrist in his other hand and said, 'it's broken…I think it's bad.'_

_Face relayed the story of how it happened and watched Hannibal's face gradually redden with anger. 'You waited two weeks to say anything? What is wrong with you?'_

_'I…um…I'm sorry, colonel. I thought it would heal on its own, but now…' Face started to sway slightly from both the pain and the fear of confessing to Hannibal, '…now it…really hurts.'_

_Hannibal reached out to steady Face, his anger dissipating as concern took over. "Okay…let's get you to a hospital. You know the drill…fake names and IDs."_

_B.A. waited outside in the van, while Hannibal and Murdock assisted Face inside to the emergency room. Hannibal played the concerned father and Murdock the brother who tackled Face a couple of weeks earlier in a football game causing the injury._

_Face lay on the table as the doctor explained that since he had waited so long the bones had already started to mend incorrectly and he would have to rebreak them in order to set them properly. Face was well aware that this visit was already going to cost them so when he was offered pain medication for the procedure he immediately declined._

_'Facey…are you sure?' Murdock asked. _

_'Yeah…I'm sure.'_

_Face wanted to scream bloody murder; it hurt much worse than the original break. It seemed like an eternity before the doctor stopped pulling and yanking on his joints and announced that he was done. Trying to downplay his discomfort, Face swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up._

_'Ready to go, kid?' Hannibal asked._

_Face nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment to do anything but moan. He put his feet on the ground and stood up._

_Hannibal and Murdock watched in horror as Face's knees buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor in a heap. The doctor wanted to admit Face for observation then and there, but that wasn't an option. Face mustered up as much charm as he could and schmoozed, "I just stood up to fast…really I'm fine." But he wasn't. He was dizzy and weak and wasn't quite sure how he was going to make it out of the hospital on his own two feet. That worry was taken from him for a moment as the doctor asked him to remain seated for some minutes and then try again. He hoped the doctor would go away but no such luck. After a couple of minutes he tried again with similar results only this time he was caught before falling and by doctors order placed back on the table._

_'It's…it's just the pain…it hurt real bad …now I'm dizzy.'_

_'No, I don't buy that. You didn't want the pain medication and if it hurt so bad that you're still dizzy after the time that has passed since the procedure you would have screamed in pain. I won't let you go without further tests. Did you hit your head lately?'_

_'No, I'm fine, really. Look, thanks for your concern but I don't want any further tests….just….I just need a good night's rest and I'll be fine.'_

_Hannibal ignored him. 'Doc, if it's not the pain and not a concussion, what else can it be?'_

_'Han…Dad, you know how I can handle pain. There's nothing wrong with me, I don't need…'_

_'Can it kid.' He turned back to the doctor, 'Well?'_

_'It could be a thousand things, including a blood clot that has wandered from the wrist to the brain. All others can be observed but that would be serious. I would like to rule it out with a CT scan of the head.'_

_'No.'_

_'I told you to can it. Can you do this scan here?'_

_'Yes, we have the techniques, though you might have to wait a bit, 30 minutes at the most.'_

_'Okay, get it done.'_

_'Dad!'_

_The doctor looked uncertain._

_'Just ignore him, if he has a clot in his brain he can't think clear and I'm his next of kin.'_

_The test turned out good, there was nothing in his brain that didn't belong there and after laying down for most of the three hours it took to get everything done Face was able to stand up and, although shaky, leave the hospital by himself._

_Hannibal left him alone for the ride but read him the riot act after they were back at the motel. His concluding statement was,_

_'If you had not been so stupid to hide your injury for two weeks this whole hospital episode would have been over in 30 minutes, just take an x-ray, align the bones and put it in a cast. Now we spent over three hours there which highly increased our risk of getting caught. In addition the whole thing cost us tenfold the amount it would have cost us two weeks ago. That was part of our savings kid, not yours but the whole team. Now we have to work extra hard and you are out of commission while you could have healed some in the last two weeks.'_

_Face wanted to throw in that he had never wanted that expensive scan but thought it wise to just keep quiet. Later that night when Face was fast asleep BA and Murdock questioned Hannibal if it was really necessary to make him feel bad in addition to his pain._

_'It's an experiment. The kid doesn't want to disappoint anyone and therefore keeps his pain to himself. I tried to change that time and time again by reassuring him but without effect. Now I want to see if it works this way. Make him feel bad about causing the Team trouble, maybe next time he'll come out when he's hurt.'_

_As they learned later on, it didn't work._

The memory was painful on all of them but after a short silence Hannibal got back to the prior topic. "What you said earlier on is not true, you're just trying to deflect me."

" 'bout ….what?"

"About 'disgusting' being the most hurtful part of my little speech."

"No…it's true. No one ….called me that ….before."

"No, it's not… it's that I called you a tag along that can be replaced."

The expression that flickered over the kid's Face said it all.

"Look Face, I don't even know where that came from. Don't pay any attention to the words of an old drunk man. You're a full member of this team and nothing will ever change that. Just keep that in mind, okay?"

"You weren't that drunk."

"I was. What do you think how much alcohol it needs to make me hit you?" Hannibal tried to lighten the mood but it wasn't working.

"I made you do that. The alcohol ….just helped."

"And? Did you gain anything from pushing my buttons, anything apart from an aching jaw? Did you find out why we stick with you?"

"Uhmm..." Face turned his eyes away sheepishly. He didn't want to tell Hannibal that he never thought he would hit him but maybe shout something and then sit him down to explain things as he usually did.

"But you know by now, don't you?"

His eyes were anywhere but on his team members.

"Man, you more nuts than the fool. 'Cause we're family, 'cause we like you, 'cause you're our friend. I could go on but you really look as if you could do with Maggie's company right now. Man, you're sweaty and hot."

"You're right BA, go and tell James to call her and tell her our Ella here is burning up." BA went out but his giggle could be heard through the door.

Face felt guilty…he had been hiding something else from the team since leaving Bad Rock. It hadn't seemed important at the time and Face figured he would be able to tend to it on his own once they reached their new destination. But then the accident happened and he was in too much pain elsewhere to even think about it, until their discussion of his wrist reminded him.

"Han'bal…have to tell…you something. Please…don't be…mad."

Hannibal braced himself as it was never good when Face started out a story that way. "What is it?"

"Tripped…and cut…my leg in…Bad Rock…morning we left. Bandaged it…but haven't…checked it…since."

Murdock shot Hannibal a look warning him to keep his cool. "Where on your leg, buddy?"

"Above my…right knee. Wasn't too…deep…stopped bleeding…after a bit."

"What did you cut it on?" Murdock continued his investigation.

"Landed on…some sort…of garden…tool in…Maggie's garage."

"Can I pull down your pants without disturbing it or you want me to cut off the leg?"

"No…don't cut…already…spoiled one."

Murdock couldn't help but smile about how Face was concerned about his pants more than his leg. He pulled it down to his knees and sure enough, there was a bandage secured with medical tape right where Face had said. It was stained with old blood and the surrounding area looked swollen. It hadn't been noticed before because the only time they had seen his pants down was to help him use the bedpan and they hadn't pulled the material down very far at all.

"I don't want to touch anything…let's wait for Maggie. Maybe this is the reason why you're sweating more than Santa Clause sitting in a sauna."

Face looked over at Hannibal who was quiet…too quiet. "I'm…s…sorry…I…"

Face was interrupted as B.A. returned with Maggie right behind him.

"Maggie, we have yet another problem," Hannibal said pointing to Face's exposed knee. His voice was cold and hard and Face cringed knowing that he had messed up yet again.

Murdock filled Maggie in as he could see that Face was having a hard enough time breathing properly.

"Let me take a look," she said peeling back the tape and frowning at what she found. "I think we found the reason why your fever is still up and rising. This wound is deeply infected. I'm going to need a few things. Murdock can you get me some boiling water? And B.A., ask Ella for those clean towels she just washed this morning. I'll go get my instruments."

Hannibal and Face remained in the room neither man wanting to speak first. Hannibal was angry and knew if he opened his mouth nothing good would come out of it. Face, on the other hand, could feel the tension in the room and didn't want to add fuel to the fire. He could also feel his leg starting to ache fiercely and wondered how he hadn't felt it before.

Finally Face felt he had to try and explain himself and muttered weakly, "Sorry…didn't know."

Hannibal couldn't hold it back any longer. "How couldn't you know…look at it," he bristled, just as the others walked back into the room.

Face's defenses came up. "I'd look…if I…could move…my…damn head."

Murdock and B.A. stood paralyzed while Maggie stomped over to Hannibal. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm calling my lieutenant on his constant need to hide injuries until it gets to this point. I'm sick and tired…"

"No, Face is sick and tired…you are just plain cruel," Maggie fumed. "Did you ever think that possibly he didn't say anything because he was in too much pain and out of his head with the concussion to remember? Not to mention that the morphine would mask the pain in his leg too."

"But he could have told me when it first happened," Hannibal countered not noticing Face growing paler by the minute.

"Yes, but if I recall you were in a rush to get away before the military arrived. The cut itself isn't bad…it's what he cut himself on that has me concerned…chances are it was rusty. But had he been able to tend to this as he thought he would medical attention would not have been necessary. It's just that it has gone too long without being cleaned and his immune system has already been compromised from all the other things going on."

Hannibal hung his head slightly as Maggie's words sunk in, but it was too late to apologize as Maggie pointed to the door and said, "Out." She had only meant Hannibal, but Murdock and B.A. assumed they were included and followed their colonel.

'They all left,' Face thought. 'I've done it…pushed too far.'

Maggie began gathering her tools. "Face, hon, I'm going to have to clean the wound to clear the infection. I'll start by softening the tissues with a hot cloth. I may have to do some cutting and probing to remove any debris. I don't want to give you anything else that will only make you sicker than you are…but this is going to be uncomfortable."

'Won't be worse than my friends walking out on me.' "I'm okay…do it."

The entire process took under twenty minutes. The worst part had been when she inserted a pair of tweezers into the wound looking for possibly pockets of pus and when she irrigated the cavity with a disinfectant solution. By the time Maggie was taping a loose gauze bandage into place Face was dizzy and barely conscious.

"You're a very brave man, Face," Maggie said softly. "I'll go fill in your friends and tell them it was a success."

'Friends? Do I have friends anymore?' Face thought before passing out.


	15. Chapter 15

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 15

Maggie left the room and found the trio outside sitting on the porch.

"How is he?" Murdock asked jumping up and nearly knocking her off the porch with his eagerness.

"He's sleeping. I had to probe deeply to make sure I got all the infection and it had to be hell on him, but he never made a sound." She looked directly at Hannibal. "It sure would have been easier for him to have somebody there to hold his hand or to just be there with him."

Hannibal looked away as his mind wandered to such a time when he was there to hold Face's hand and comfort him but nothing else.

_Back in the camps the guards had at one point noticed how the team drew strength from each other, how important physical contact was after long interrogation sessions. They came up with a cruel twist of their game that they liked to use on Face and occasionally on Murdock. After coming out of interrogation they would not throw their prisoner back into the cage with the others but drag what they called a box, a small portable cage where the inmate could only sit cross-legged or crouch, over next to the big cage. It would be close enough for them to touch their hands if they reached out from both sides but nothing more, no tending to injuries, no way to give the little water and food they had saved for the one currently in interrogation. With Murdock the game grew old very fast since he would talk to imaginary friends or sing at the top of his lungs. It didn't show any effect with him so they stopped after a little while. For Face it was pure hell and he wasn't able to hide it. _

_After one very nasty session he was brought back and put in the box for three days. Hannibal reached through the bars and coaxed Face to do the same so he could hold his hand. Face was so out of it and weakened that Hannibal had to talk for hours. When he finally thought Face was broken he moved his hand and touched Hannibal. Later on he told him that it was that touch that kept him alive._

Hannibal was so deep in thought that it took him a while to notice that he was no more the subject of Maggie's wrath.

"You two, some friends you are, follow your colonel blindly and leaving your teammate behind."

"Sorry, we thought you meant all of us and even then we should have told you no, we'll stay."

"Yeah you should, and now go and cool him down. He can't have another dose of Tylenol for four hours. I'll give you thirty minutes and if he's not cooled down enough by then I have to start him on ibuprofen in addition to the Tylenol. I'm surprised at how good he takes the meds without much side effects."

"It's just the calm before the storm. It usually takes about one or two days for the side effects to kick in." Hannibal said and moved to Face's bedside to cool him.

Maggie turned to Murdock. "I want to know one thing, how did this injury go unnoticed? He's wearing sweat pants but wasn't doing so before. Who changed his clothes for him?"

It was B.A. who spoke up. "Oh man…I shoulda said somethin'."

"About what, B.A.?" Hannibal asked dipping the cloth back into the ice bath.

"There was a maid that came in to clean one time when you two was outside by the van. I was sleepin', but when I woke up she was standin' next to Face's bed. I told her that Face had been in an accident and she seemed cool with the explanation. I didn't think anythin' of it since we was movin' on soon."

"You think she changed Face's pants?" Murdock asked skeptically.

"Yeah, man. She said she cleaned him up a bit…though changing a man's pants is kinda weird. I think she was just tryin' to help 'cause she saw we was both hurtin'."

Maggie sighed, "Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter, now."

"No, it does matter," B.A. disagreed. "If I had said somethin' then we coulda asked Faceman about it and he mighta told us about his leg. And maybe she the reason the military started buggin' Maggie again."

"That's a very big assumption, B.A. I know you feel bad about what happened, but you can't take the blame for this one."

"No…but I can," Face's meek voice came from the bed.

"Face," Hannibal smiled kneeling down by the bed. "I am so, so sorry, kid. None of this is your fault."

"Should have said something…screwed up…again."

"No, no you didn't. It was just bad luck is all. It's nobody's fault." Hannibal looked from Face to B.A. "And I mean nobody's fault…that includes you B.A."

"We're real sorry we walked out on you, muchacho."

"S'okay, Murdock. I'm used…to it." The room fell awkwardly silent and it dawned on face that his words could be interpreted the wrong way. "Didn't mean…I…um…wasn't talking…about…you guys."

"We know, Face." Hannibal took hold of Face's hand and said, "I should have done this before while Maggie was fixing your leg."

Face held on tight and replied, "You've always been there for me…in Nam…and many times after." Face closed his eyes and his body jerked as the first of many stomach cramps to come hit his midsection. "Hannibal?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Don't…don't feel so…good."

"You're going to be just fine, Face," Hannibal consoled. "But the medicine may make you feel sick for a while."

"I can…take it. As long as…you stay…with me."

"Just try to make me leave," Hannibal challenged.

The others stood silent watching the exchange between surrogate father and son not wanting to disturb the poignant moment. But when Face mentioned yet another event from the past, Murdock and B.A. had to fight back their tears.

"You are always…there for me, Hannibal. I know…I have trouble…admitting I'm hurt…but it's an…old habit. But you…still stand…by me."

"Because that's what families do…they stand by each other."

"I…I…don't have…much practice on…what families do," Face said rubbing his belly and trying to make the pain go away.

"Yes you do kid. You have been treating the team like a family for years. You provide for us and make sure we have a roof over our head at all times."

"Maybe…but you…all of you…take care of me when I'm hurt. Do you…remember when…scam went…south in…Guatamala few…years back?"

"You were grazed by that bullet, but we didn't know it until after the mission, full three days later."

Face was trying to curl up as the next cramp hit but between the sturdy plastic vest and the halo all he could do was draw his legs up. He had his hands at his belly again, the part that was not covered by the plastic of the vest, and looked really miserable.

"You're one though guy, Faceman. I always complain about you hidin' your pain but in that case, respect man. If I was you back then I would probably have tried to do the same but I would never have been able to hide my pain like you did."

Maggie was intrigued, "What happened?"

"We had a case coming on; some orphans in Guatemala needed our help. Some guy was using them for forced labor. We wanted to leave the next day and then Murdock came down with a bug. I wanted to postpone the mission until he was well but Murdock insisted he was fit to fly and Face and BA protested that the three of us can do the job. So we decided to do it. It was tough with one man down but we could manage. Face had a scam on to get us a plane and all went well, we were all inside when Face came out of the building and onto the runway, arguing with the owner of the plane. He had become suspicious, thought he remembered Face's picture from the sheriff's office and wanted Face to stay until the sheriff arrived. It ended in a shootout and Face was grazed but we didn't know."

_Face made a dash for the plane. Just as he reached out for the ladder he felt a burning pain in his side. To Hannibal who stood at the top of the ladder ready to pull it in, it looked like he had stumbled when reaching out for the ladder._

_'Need to train your skills to jump onto moving ladders kid, that was close.'_

_'I'm sure you can come up with an obstacle course for that, I'm all sweaty, I'll be in the bathroom.'_

_Face wanted to check what had happened to him on his own, if he now alerted Hannibal he might pull them off the mission and he didn't want to risk that. It was a deep long graze along his left side but after all, just a graze. Face took the shirt he was wearing and turned it into bandages to patch himself up in the tiny bathroom. It burned like hell but he was sure it would fade with time. Then he got into a fresh shirt, he chose a red one to be on the safer side, and returned to his seat._

_BA was up for a change because this was for kids but he was nervous like something. 'Was 'bout time man, you not the only one wantin' to use that bathroom.' _

_Hannibal spiked his drink while he was at the bathroom and the flight went without problems. _

_Once in Guatemala Face found himself some proper bandages and fixed them tightly. His wound wasn't bleeding too much but it was a steady dripping. He had to watch it and change the bandage from time to time._

_It took them two days of preparation before they had enough proof against the guy to hand him over to the police. Now they just had to wait until he came back to the orphanage to collect more kids from the scared nuns and they had him. Face was holding up well but the pain was cruel. He had moments in which he felt dizzy but it was short moments and anytime the adrenalin kicked in it was gone. _

_They had to wait for only a few hours. The guy and his goons came with a truckload of tired and worn out kids to exchange them for strong ones. He never returned all of them and therefore had a grip on the nuns who didn't want to risk the life of those kids left behind. The A-Team however had done their research well. They knew where he kept the rest of the kids and also that only one guard stayed with them while the rest went for the exchange._

_Face was sent to take out that guard and collect the kids while BA and Hannibal dealt with the rest of the gang. All went according to plan, BA and Hannibal surrounded by a number of happy kids and nuns waited for Face to return with the rest of the kids. One nun had been sent to the hotel to collect Murdock who was still sick. When Murdock arrived before Face Hannibal grew worried but the bus full off kids arrived only moments later. Face flashed one of his bright smiles at his team….and promptly collapsed at the horn of the bus._

_As the adrenalin wore off his dizziness increased. He had to drive slow in order not to endanger the kids and when he reached the compound and knew his charge was safe he passed out._

"If…if…I had…said…would have…stopped mission."

"Yes I would have, those kids could have waited a few days. They were made to work hard and maybe their health was at risk but not their lives. Although I understand your reasons I won't say they were good. You endangered yourself and therefore the mission."

"I know …how much…I can take. Ooowww." The next bad cramp hit and Face's color was a mixture of grey, green and an increasing potion of red.

"I know you can and so do I. Next time just trust me to decide if a mission can wait a bit or not."

"You…don't know….ooowww…damn that…hurts." Face never finished his statementas the cramps got more severe and the time range shorter. He was changing to a pinker parlor and Hannibal thought it was from the pain but as it turned out it was rather embarrassment.

"Uhmm…guys…my stomach…I…I need….need to go. …Oowww….and fast." His stomach rumbled so loud that they all could hear it. "Get me up."

"No way, Face," Maggie said. "You should keep weight off that leg…not to mention that you are too weak to stand."

"But…I…have to…oh God," Face gasped, the pain taking his breath away.

Hannibal knew that Face didn't have much time. He also knew that Face was a proud man and having an accident…especially in front of a woman…would kill him. It was his turn to throw the others out. "All those with blue eyes can stay…all others, get out," Hannibal ordered, while still trying to keep the tone light.

As soon as the room was cleared Hannibal carefully removed Face's pants all the while trying to block out Face's moans of pain.

"Han'bal…don't have…to. Please…don't…please."

"Face…it's okay. Let me help you."

Face didn't have a choice as his body took control of the situation. Hannibal went about his business wordlessly and as gently as possible.

"I…I'm…gonna die," Face muttered, not sure himself if he was talking about from the humiliation or from the unrelenting stomach pains.

"Breathe…just breathe," Hannibal encouraged.

And that's what Face focused on until the attack subsided. He lay there quivering while his colonel continued to clean him and the surrounding area.

"You all right, kid?" Hannibal questioned a few minutes later as he wiped some sweat off of Face's forehead.

"Yeah," he lied.

"You want anything?

"Want…to…disappear," Face whispered, not expecting Hannibal to hear him.

Hannibal felt his heart beat faster at the mere thought of losing Face. "Don't you ever say that again…and I mean it." His tone was harsher than he meant it to be so he quickly followed it up with, "I need you, kid."

But Face wasn't buying it and it was written all over his face.

"C'mon Face…cheer up."

"Cheer up? I just had my ass wiped by my colonel and you want me to cheer up?"

Face didn't sound angry, just exhausted and defeated…and that's what bothered Hannibal most.

"C'mon Face, I know you're embarrassed but these things happen. You had an accident, that's not the end of the world."

"I'm grown, I shouldn't have…uhm…accidents."

"This has nothing to do with grown or not, you're sick, the medicine makes your stomach run, happens to other people too you know?"

Face was beyond the point of caring what happened to other people, this had happened to him, right here and now under the watchful eyes of his commanding officer who even had to clean him. At this moment he wanted nothing more than to die. He was embarrassed and felt dirty.

"Actually kid, you can blame this on me for not being fast enough. You told us in time but I didn't have a bed pan ready. It's not like this is the first time you have this reaction to antibiotics and Maggie has you on a strong cocktail here. I actually should have gotten the bed pans ready when you started to have cramps."

All this talking did nothing to ease Face's mind, he really didn't need the constant reminder. Yeah, so he had had that reaction before but then he had been able to get to the bathroom. If it had happened with a stranger, maybe in a hospital, somebody he would never meet again. But Hannibal, his mentor, what would he think of him now? One of the three men who stood by him through hell and high water, how was he ever going to look him in the eye again? This was just the ultimate humiliation.

"Come on kid, relax, judging from the color of your head there isn't much blood left in the rest of your body. Next time I'll be ready, okay?"

"Yeah, as if a bed pan is the solution." It might be better than to soil yourself and the bed you're in but not by far. Its ranking in the humiliation scale was still quite high.

Face still had that defeated tone to his voice and Hannibal didn't like it one bit.

"Okay kid, let me change the sheets and wash them out before they go to laundry. See if you can roll to your side for me." Together they got the bed undressed and Face was now laying on is back, panting. The exercise of rolling from one side to the next had wiped him out and he could feel the next round of cramps starting up.

Hannibal gathered up the textiles when another thought occurred to him. "Kid, want me to change your boxers for you once we're on it?"

"No…did I…are they….you know…dirty?"

"No, no they were out of the way, but you've been wearing them for over a week now."

"Oh. Just…just get me a fresh one, I can do it. You already changed my pants for me somewhere in between. I wasn't wearing sweats. I thought…you know…my boxers …I thought you changed them too."

"You don't remember?"

"No" Hannibal was still trying to figure out if and why this maid had really changed Face's pants. If he couldn't remember they might never find out. BA was also quite out of it with fever in between, possible the two did it alone and none could remember. But why would she say she cleaned him up and then sick the military on them?

Hannibal changed his mind and got Face a fresh Pajama bottoms from his bag. "Okay kid, let's get you out of these and in some pajamas, will be more comfortable." Hannibal reached out to start the task but Face stopped him.

"No, I can do that myself. Don't need you to it." The last thing he wanted was for Hannibal to see him bared just again.

"Sorry, just wanted to help you, you're weak and between the halo, your shoulder and your leg, changing into fresh pants is quite a task."

"I can do it, just give it to me."

Hannibal handed it over and turned around to allow Face some privacy. He heard him trying to get his boxers down which was a difficult task but decided to give him the necessary time. That plan changed when he heard a sharp gasp from behind him.

"Face?"

"Mmmhhhh."

"What's it kid?"

"C….Cramp."

Now Hannibal did turn around and found Face on his side with his legs drawn up, his hands pressing into his lower belly and his face a mask of pain.

"Again?"

"Mmmhhh."

This time Hannibal had the bed pan ready. When all was over he helped Face change his pants, this time without any protest since the second attack had left him too weak to do more than moan. When Face was settled Hannibal gathered up the laundry for the second time.

"I'll just be a minute kid, grab some fresh sheets and get your bed done and then you can sleep some."

" 'kay." Was the weak answer he got. Face was lying on his side, facing the door and looked completely drained.

Hannibal opened the door and there stood the rest off his team with Maggie and Ella, equipped with fresh bed sheets.

"Ah, here you are, Maggie just told me you could use some fresh sheets . Here, let me get those, oh the poor dear."

The gasp from Face was well audible and his head turned bright red again. Hannibal was a bit shocked by the audience and didn't stop BA and Murdock from entering the room.

"Hey Facey, don't be embarrassed."

"Yeah man, not like we didn't know what happened in here."

"BA, Murdock, do you have blue eyes? No? Out, now." The last part had a warning growl to it that only Hannibal was capable off. It told them in no uncertain terms that they were in deep and they better comply now. He shut the door behind them and turned to Face who had tears running out of his eyes.

"Shh kid, it's alright, nothing happened. Let's get those sheets on and then you can sleep." They wordlessly went about their task and soon Hannibal tucked Face in and rubbed his arms until Face had silently cried himself to sleep.

Hannibal was so going to let them have it, what did they think was the sense of them being sucked from the room? But before he got to that task another thought struck him. He just couldn't get this maid out of his head. If she had changed Face's pants she must have rummaged through his bag to find it, or more likely through all of their bags since she couldn't have known which one was Faces. Did she come in looking for something and just thought she had found a good explanation in case she got caught? Or was it something else she had in mind? If she had planted a bug on them the military would have been there by then and it would have been easier to just hide it and leave. She sure should have left the room upon finding two sleeping men even if the 'do not disturb' sign was not hung outside. What made her act, or was it really BA and Face and they didn't remember? Hannibal got his and Face's bags out to look for anything out of the ordinary.

All looked fine in his bag, but when he got to Face's he discovered what the maid was most likely looking for: Face's wallet. It was more like Face's empty wallet…all of his money was gone. The IDs were still present, but that wouldn't have mattered anyway as they never carried their real ones anymore for just this very reason. Hannibal rummaged around a little more looking for the envelope of money Face had collected from a previous job and hadn't yet had an opportunity to deposit. It was no surprise when that was missing as well.

"Damn," Hannibal cursed picking up the bag and quietly exiting the room. He walked down to the kitchen where B.A. and Murdock were sitting.

"We're sorry, colonel," Murdock immediately apologized. "How's Face?"

"Sleeping…no thanks to you. I'll deal with that later, for now I want you both to check your bags to see if anything is missing. I also want you to look at Face's and see if you notice anything suspicious that I may not have picked up on. His wallet was cleaned out and our last job's payment was taken as well."

"Damn," B.A. muttered.

"Exactly what I said." Hannibal poured himself a cup of coffee. "Where are Maggie and the Holmes'?"

"Out on the porch…they needed some air after seeing Face so upset."

Hannibal narrowed his eyes at his men. "You two should have known better that to let them up there. I better go make sure they are okay. Check out those bags for me…and then get upstairs and check on Face."

"Yes, sir," was the simultaneous reply.

Maggie heard the front door squeak open and was on her feet in seconds. "How is he, John?"

"He's sleeping. He's been better…and I have a feeling this is only the beginning."

Ella and James were sitting together on the porch swing. "Colonel Smith," Ella said. "I never meant to upset that dear child…please accept my sincere apology."

Hannibal smiled and said, "There is nothing for you to apologize for. And please, call me John."

"John," James said. "Is there anything we can do to help you and your men?"

"You have already been so kind to us by letting us stay here…that's more than we can ask for."

Maggie walked over and stood next to Hannibal who instinctively put his arm around her. "I told you that these two are a special pair."

"No doubt about that," Hannibal agreed. "And you, my dear doctor, fall into that very same category."

"I want to go check on my patient…care to join me?"

Hannibal opened the door and they stopped by the kitchen before heading upstairs to Face.

"I just checked on the Faceman," B.A. said. "He still out."

"Everything was normal with my bag…" Murdock began before being cut off.

"Ain't nothin' normal about anythin' havin' to do with you, fool," B.A. teased.

"As I was saying before a big angry mudsucker interrupted me," Murdock continued, "Everything was fine with my bag and with B.A.'s, but you're not going to believe what else was missing from Face's bag…and it isn't good."

Before Hannibal could ask what it was, there was an animalistic scream from upstairs and the group went running.


	16. Chapter 16

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 16

Face was kicking and screaming at the top of his lungs, obviously trapped inside a horrible dream.

"Hannibal, you have to calm him down…his leg wound will open back up," Maggie insisted.

Under normal circumstances Hannibal would try to coax Face out of his nightmare gently, but he was afraid that if he waited too long more damage would be done. "Lieutenant Peck! Stand down…that's an order."

Face's eyes flew open and his right hand automatically went up to his head in a salute. "Yes, sir!" But that hand began to shake and fell limply down to his side.

Hannibal watched Face pass out again and looked to the doctor. "Maggie?"

"Let me check him over…but stay close."

Hannibal walked over to Murdock and B.A. In all the excitement he had forgotten about what Murdock had started to tell him in the kitchen, but was about to be reminded.

"So, you wanna guess or I shall tell you?"

"Huh?"

"Face's bag."

"Oh, yeah, what is it?"

"His spare gun that he keeps there is missing, along with the ammo. But that's…"

"Are you sure? He doesn't keep it there when we're on a mission…he keeps it in the van."

"I saw him putting it in his bag before we got in the van, after all we were going home. But as I was going to tell you that's not all that's missing."

"Murdock, don't make me guess. What else."

"I can't find the pants he was wearing nor can I find one with a cut in it from where he fell on the garden tool in Maggie's garage. Aaannnndddd…his little black book is also gone, the one where he has all his contact telephone numbers inside."

"And just what would our mysterious lady want with his pants? And with his book?"

"How do I know? For all I know he burned the pants with the cut or threw it away. We can only ask him when he's coherent enough." Murdock didn't have any answer either, the whole thing was strange.

"Uhm Hannibal…the pants had some blood on it from the cuts in his head….and the other one probably had blood on it too. And his gun has his prints on it."

"BA, you think she has planned to kill someone and frame Face for it? That's a wide assumption, she couldn't know of his gun or the blood on his clothes."

"Then why did she take it?"

"How am I supposed to know? Probably not to do his dry cleaning. We can ask mystery lady when we find her; she has our money and Face's things."

"You think she's still at the motel Colonel?" Murdock highly doubted that but wanted to know where the colonel intended to look for her.

"If she ever worked for the motel and not just dressed up as maid to get access to the room. We'll start there and see if we can get a lead. Maggie? How is he?"

Maggie sighed loudly. "He's been better. The side effect of the antibiotics he's on is really hard on him and the fever is still high. His lungs haven't cleared up significantly either. The only thing that looks better are the cuts on his head but then the concussion is still bothering him."

As if on cue Face's stomach rumbled and he shifted and whimpered in his sleep.

"How fast do the antibiotics work?"

"It's okay for him to get worse before he gets better. I was hoping I could change him to a more mild antibiotic after some two or three days but at the rate he's going it doesn't seem likely. If I have to guess I would say he has to go through the maximum seven days of this and ten follow up with the milder version."

"That long? The kid will be out of his mind from the meds. It always starts up with the stomach cramps and later he's disoriented and hallucinates or has flashbacks, and that was without being concussed." Hannibal stroked Faces forehead and felt the heat still radiating from his body."

"You can only be here for him, he has to get through it to get well. I hope we can soon get some food into him to get him off the IV."

"Nah, he usually pukes 'till days after getting of the meds." BA was to the point, no beating around the bush and despite the seriousness of the situation the other two had to chuckle at Maggie's expression.

"Okay, you two go and see if you can get some leads from the motel, I'll stay with Face."

"You better behave, fool. And leave all imagined things here."

"BA, if they're imagined, how could I take them along?"

" 'Cause you a fool, that's why you do it. Hannibal, call us the minute the Faceman needs us, you hear?"

"Sure BA, get going."

Just minutes after BA and Murdock left Face woke up again. He didn't say anything at first, just looked around looking like a little lost child. His eyes settled upon Maggie and he softly began to cry. "You…you came…back for me."

Maggie looked at Hannibal not knowing what to do or what to say. But Hannibal was at the same loss and stood frozen in his spot. But as Face paled and covered his mouth with his hand they sprung into action and cared for him as he was brutally ill.

It was awkward afterwards as Face lay physically spent, his throat on fire from all the acids that had come up. He wasn't speaking and Hannibal and Maggie were still unsure where he was in his mind at this point. Finally he rasped out, "Sorry." He looked at Maggie and said, "I…I thought…you were…her. Thought you were…my mother." The tears came back. "Felt…so…so…real."

"Oh, Face," Maggie said feeling her own eyes grow moist. "I'm sorry…so very sorry."

Hannibal could see Face wincing with every swallow and poured as glass of water. "Here, kid. Drink this…take small sips."

"Thanks," Face said when he was done. "Where are…Murdock…B.A.?"

Hannibal didn't want to upset Face by telling him what they had discovered; he had enough on his plate as it was. "They're taking care of some yard work for Ella and James."

"Together?" Face joked with a shadow of his usual smile.

"I know…probably not the best idea," Hannibal grinned back.

"M'tired…think I'll…sleep now."

Maggie and Hannibal settled down together on the small couch to keep watch. But Hannibal couldn't help but wonder how the other half of his team was making out.

A few hours later Murdock and B.A. were walking back toward the van, but they were no closer to finding their mystery maid. They did, however, confirm one of their suspicions as Murdock channeled his inner Face and questioned the desk keeper while pretending to be an inspector for the town. The motel did not currently have any maids on staff and would only have cleaning people come in once a month. But they weren't due for such a visit for another week.

They were so busy discussing the entire situation that they never took note of the lady behind the tree watching their every move. Shortly before they exited the motel she made a last minute decision to stow away in their van rather than follow in her own vehicle. Hiding in the back of the van she waited and thought, 'it won't be long until Templeton Peck is mine…oh the fun I'm going to have playing with him. His pain will be my pleasure.'

Maggie was nuzzled up against Hannibal and taking in his masculine scent. 'Cigars and ivory soap,' she thought amazed at just how good they smelled together. 'Or maybe it's just the man that I'm smelling them on that makes them simple intoxicating.'

It took sheer willpower to drag herself away from Hannibal to do her regular heart rate and blood pressure check on Face. And that's when she noticed a scar on the inside of his bicep. It was long and raised and Maggie was sure from the looks of it that the wound must have been quite deep.

"Hannibal, do you know where Face got that scar on his arm from?" she asked resuming her prior spot.

"Which one?" Hannibal said with a chuckle. "We all have more scars than I can even try to keep track of." His tone became more serious as he added, "especially Face."

"The one on his right bicep."

Hannibal knew just the one she was talking about. "Oh that scar…Face got that while saving Billy."

"Billy?"

"Murdock's dog."

"Murdock has a dog?"

"No…well, yes…well sort of," Hannibal stammered. "He's Murdock's imaginary pet."

"If he's imaginary then why on earth would Face have to save him?"

Hannibal smiled at Maggie's mystification. "It's a long story and one that we all can joke about now, but at the time it was no laughing matter."

"Well, I don't have any plans at the moment…care to share?"

Hannibal began to recount the details of the day some eight years prior.

"At that time Murdock wasn't very stable. We only broke him out for a few missions if we needed a pilot but Face never believed the VA could do him much good, at least not more than his friends could. Although I could understand the kid, he and Murdock were joined at the hip in Nam, and it broke my heart to do so I constantly scolded him for breaking out Murdock during down time. Murdock was too eccentric at the time, drawing attention way more than now and we just couldn't have that. But Face would never listen. The two got into trouble more often than I care to remember and then it was up to BA and me to bail our terrible twins out."

_'Murdock, Murdock would you calm down? I can't take you along if you make so much noise and the orderlies will find me in your room.'_

_'But Face, they took Billy, they took him away.'_

_'Okay Murdock, is Billy still in this building?'_

_'No, they took him away.'_

_'Then be quiet now and climb out of the window with me, you can explain everything outside.'_

_'Will you save Billy Face?'_

_'Sure I will buddy, now come.'_

_Once in Face's car Murdock burst free, 'They took him, took him to the labs to do tests on him, he barked for my help but they just took him away, I couldn't do anything Face, they used sausages for bait while I was playing gin with the other inmates and once he was in striking distance they lunged at him. We have to save him Face, I know where the lab is, been there once.'_

_'Okay Murdock, calm down, just direct me and we'll get Billy back, I promise.'_

_Murdock directed him to an industrial area outside LA which was deserted at this time of the night. There was a laboratory of some kind and they actually heard dogs barking there, only Face highly doubted they served any other purpose than to secure the place against intruders._

_'Face, we need to go in and break Billy out.'_

_'Easy there buddy, I'm the one responsible for breaking team members out that are locked away. But then maybe Billy already escaped on his own, he's a clever dog after all, let's look around, he's probably somewhere here waiting for us to pick him up.'_

_That trick usually worked and Murdock started looking around the place. Before Face knew what was happening Murdock rolled down the window and started whistling._

_'Shh, be quiet Murdock.'_

_'But Billy will come when I whistle.'_

_'Those lab people will hear you and when they come out they'll re arrest Billy.'_

_'Oh…there…there I can see him, he's on top of that tall tree there, see?' Murdock was pointing at a tall tree right at the fence of the place. A metal fence with pointed tips to be exact. 'He can't come down on his own. Face, you have to go get him.'_

_Face was the best at climbing trees with lots of practice from his orphanage days and Nam. He thought why not, if it ends this episode and started climbing. He was at the top in seconds but then climbing down using only one hand while holding an imaginary dog in the other arm was more difficult. He did well for most of the part but then slipped and fell to the ground, slicing his arm at the fence on his way. At least he landed at the right side of the fence._

_'Billy, Billy my boy. Oh Face, you're the best.'_

_Murdock was happily cuddling the air totally oblivious to Face's injury._

_It was a deep gash and he was bleeding quite a lot. Face decided he needed help. He packed Murdock and Billy in the car and drove to Hannibal's apartment. _

"That's the story we got out of them with time. I heard a car and went to the window. When I saw it was Face's I opened the door. First a very excited Murdock burst in happily chatting and carrying what appeared to be Billy while all the time praising Face for rescuing him. Face came after him, closed the door and leaned against the wall next to it."

_'Face, how many times did I tell you to leave Murdock at the VA? He needs the meds and we can't have such a commotion, we're trying to keep a low profile, remember? You…oh my god.'_

_That's when Hannibal noticed all the blood on his lieutenant. Face was sliding down the wall, his eyes closing._

_'Murdock, come here and help me. What happened?'_

_'Face, oh my god you're hurt.' Only Murdock had the ability to change from totally nuts to somber in a heartbeat._

"I stitched him up as well as I could but with his luck, of course the wound did get infected and he needed antibiotics. He was sick like a dog and weak for about 10 days. At least the episode helped convince me that Murdock was totally reliable when he was needed, he took care of Face the entire time. After that we broke him out more often, even if we didn't intend to fly."

A sound outside got their attention. It was the sheriff's car coming up the drive. Murdock, BA and Hank got down and came inside the house. He had collected them earlier to get them to the van stowed away in the barn and had now collected them there. Even so BA limped badly and wanted nothing more than to sit down and prop his leg up.

"B.A., get off that leg and let Maggie check you over," Hannibal said holding the front door open for the sergeant. Maggie led B.A. into the family room and began her examination while the others remained out on the porch.

"What'd you find out?" Hannibal asked Murdock.

"We found out that our maid wasn't working for the motel, but that's about all we could find."

"Maybe she was just looking to steal some quick money and nothing more?" Hank volunteered.

"Maybe," Hannibal said, not looking convinced. "But why take Face's clothes, his black book…and his gun?"

Hank shrugged, "Beats me…but I'll keep my eye open and have already instructed my deputies to do the same."

"Thanks, Sheriff," Hannibal said.

"No problem at all. Well, I best be going…please tell Maggie I said good-bye."

"Will do."

Hannibal and Murdock went back inside just in time to see Maggie emerging from the family room. She answered their question before they had a chance to ask it. "B.A.'s fine. His leg looks good…it's just that he hasn't used it that much in a while. But I did order him to take a nap on the couch." Maggie stopped and took a close look at the two men before her. "In fact you both look utterly exhausted as well. I'll sit with Face, why don't you go get some rest? "

"No," they answered at the same time.

"I may have phrased it as a question, but I meant it as an order," Maggie smiled.

"You win, Mags. I think we both could use a few winks, but you…"

"Will call you the minute Face wakes up," Maggie finished the sentence while shooing the men away.

Hank was just about back to the station when a call came over his radio. He recognized the voice of one of his officers. She was new to the force, a pretty young blonde by the name of Susan Monroe. "Sheriff, come in, Sheriff."

"Hank here…what's up Sue?"

"I'm over here at the motel. I was driving by when I noticed a black van with a red stripe in the parking lot."

"What?" Hank asked in shock…it couldn't be a coincidence.

"It matched the description of the A-Teams vehicle, but I thought you said they had cleared out of there already."

Hank had told his officers everything but the new location of the team to avoid any possible leaks to the military. "Damn," he cursed. "I just left them a while back…somebody must have followed and taken the van."

"I did a thorough check but saw nothing suspicious…just the van."

"Stay put, Sue…I'm on my way," Hank said and before hanging up added. "And nice work…thanks." He got off the radio and turned his car around.

"Oh Sheriff," Sue laughed wickedly from the driver's seat of the vehicle she had stolen and driven back to her own patrol car. "The pleasure is all mine."

Sue put her walkie-talkie back into her belt, readjusted the seat back to where she had found it and got to work wiping her prints off the steering wheel. The whole thing had been easy…almost too easy. But now she knew where Peck was, or at least that he was back in Bad Rock, and could start preparing for the festivities. All she had to do was find out whom the barn belonged to.

"Patience…you must have patience," she said out loud to herself. She needed to wait for him to recover before she made her first move. It wouldn't be any fun to torture an injured and sick man; it wouldn't be a challenge. She wanted any pain that he felt to be a result of what she did to him. "Oh…and there will be pain…and lots of it."


	17. Chapter 17

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 17

Maggie hadn't realized just how tired she was herself and she drifted off while sitting up in a chair next to Face's bed. It was the sound of footsteps that woke her and the sight of a blood trail on the floor that nearly stopped her heart. She jumped to her feet and moved toward Face who had his back to her and was shuffling toward the door. The blood was dripping from a hole in his arm where he had torn out the IV.

"Face…stop…Face!" she cried out, but Face kept walking seemingly unaware of his surroundings. Maggie followed behind, but kept her distance unsure of where Face was in his mind. She breathed a sigh of relief as Hannibal came flying up the stairs flanked by Murdock and B.A.

Face stop moving and his half-closed eyes opened wide as if he were just waking up. He found himself standing in a hallway, but had no idea how he got there. The team stood on one side talking to him while Maggie was on the other looking absolutely terrified. Face put a hand out to the wall to keep him up as his legs began to shake.

"Face," Hannibal said calmly. "It's Hannibal…can you hear me?"

"Yeah…I…I…please help me…I…I feel so…"

That was all he could say before he slumped into Hannibal's open arms. He had had one of the weirdest dreams in his life. He was lying on a bed in a big room. He knew the room from somewhere but couldn't place it. For some reason he couldn't move but he wasn't tied down. It was as if he was sleeping with his eyes open. A woman was standing by his bed, a young blonde maid. He could see her very clear only her face was blurry. As far as he could see there was nobody else in the room. She ran her hands over his body and then unzipped his pants. She disappeared from his line of vision and he felt how his pants were pulled off of his legs. Then she reappeared, running her hands over his legs towards his groin. Normally he wouldn't object to a beautiful young lady doing so but this one had something wicked, something crazy about her. He couldn't tell why but that was just the feeling he got. And then she slipped her hands into his boxers and it left him with a feeling of cold fear. But then she withdrew her hands, put his pants back on and vanished. He lay there for some time, fear immobilizing him, but then decided he had to get away. There was an IV in his arm and something held his head stiff. Probably she put it there. He undid the thick bandage around the IV port and ripped it out. Then he got up and moved towards the door, he would deal with the thing on his head later.

And then he woke up from his dream and was standing in a hallway he couldn't place facing Hannibal , BA and Murdock.

"Murdock, help me get him back on the bed."

"I can take him."

"No BA, you have to take care of your leg. Murdock, take his feet." Hannibal grabbed Face under the shoulders and they carried him back to the bed.

Maggie immediately pressed a bandage to his arm. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you told me to put a bandage around the port. He could have pulled it out instead of ripping his arm open. Apply pressure here for me, I want to check his vitals and set up a new IV, he's lost a good amount of blood. I want to replace some liquid."

Hannibal had just started applying pressure when James came up the stairs. "Oh my god, what happened here?" All the blood had him stunned for a moment before he continued, "Hank's on the phone. He said to come over to the motel you were at before you came here, your van is parked outside it."

"What? Who took ma van?" BA was up and headed for the door but grimaced in pain as he put weight on his leg.

Much as Hannibal hated to leave Face's side he couldn't let BA run around on that leg more than he had done already for the day. "BA, sit down. You'll stay with Face. Murdock, let's go."

Face was having another dream. He was back at the orphanage. He hadn't slept well that night because of some nightmares keeping him up and as a result was still asleep when the other kids were already up. A nun came to wake him.

_'Alvin,wake up. Do you want to sleep all day?'_

_'Hmmm?'_

_'Get up and into the bathroom. That family that's interested in you is coming today, did you forget?'_

_He was up with lightening speed._

_'Let's go Alvin.'_

_He walked beside the nun towards the bathroom. 'I'm not called Alvin again, I'm Morrison, Morrison Holmes.'_

_'Yeah, whatever, just go and get cleaned and dressed. Nobody wants an unkempt kid.' More quiet she muttered 'Father and his new ideas. Who ever heard of an 8 year old picking his own name.'_

_He dressed in record time and missed breakfast because he was too anxious to eat anything, instead he sat at the big window waiting. The family never showed up._

B.A. knew that Face was having a dream by the way his arms and legs were moving slightly and from the small moans coming from his lips. But then his body stilled and instead of the sounds, there were tears leaking from under closed eye lids.

'Aw man,' B.A. thought. 'Don't do this to me now, Faceman.' Hannibal and Murdock were always better with the emotional stuff. B.A. wasn't sure whether he should wake him up since he needed to sleep, so he decided to leave him be. But just sitting there and doing nothing was killing him, so instead he walked over to the window and looked outside. It was a beautiful sunny day, but instead he saw an overcast day years before when they were on the run from some MPs...literally on the run.

_The van's tires had been shot out and they were forced to bail and take to foot. They ran down an embankment forcing the men after them to exit their cars as well in pursuit. Face took the rear and got off a few shots in order to provide cover for the others. He was the fastest and most agile of the group and would be able to make up the distance without a problem...or so they thought._

_But in his haste to catch up with the team Face slipped on a wet patch and landed hard in the middle of a mud puddle. Covered in mud and dazed, he got to his feet fired off a few more shots, and then got to running again. He ran and ran until exhaustion forced him to take cover behind some bushes to assess the situation. The team was out of sight at this point and the MPs had either given up or had gone in a different direction. Still needing to find the others, he took off again hoping for a clue from the guys as to where they were. That's when he heard it...Hannibal's duck call._

_Face ran toward the sound. Just as he saw them up ahead in the far distance, his foot came down onto a rock and he fell to the ground. As he tried to stand he realized that he had twisted his ankle badly and wouldn't be walking anywhere. The team hadn't seen him yet, so he let out a duck call of his own, though it paled in comparison to Hannibal's. As soon as they got close to Face and took a look at the normally pristine man covered in mud they all broke out into hysterics. _

_Ankle throbbing and starting to feel the impact of the earlier fall, Face was in no mood to be made fun of. "And just what is so funny?" he demanded._

_"You, man," B.A. giggled as Murdock doubled over with laughter._

_"C'mon, Face...just think how soft your skin will be after this," Hannibal teased. "Now, let's get moving before those MP's come back."_

_Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. started walking away while Face remained on the ground._

_Hannibal looked back over his shoulder and said, "Let's go, Lieutenant."_

_"No, I..." Face started, before being interupted by B.A._

_"Stop sulkin' man, and get movin'!" B.A. barked._

_Face pushed himself up while the others continued walking away. 'Maybe it's not that bad,' he thought. But one attempt at putting weight on it sent stars before his eyes and he sat back down._

_It was Murdock who first realized that something was wrong. "Face, you alright?" he yelled back._

_Face shook his head no, too embarrassed to say anything more. _

_As the team returned they saw that he was shaking from the cold air hitting his wet skin. Hannibal knelt down and asked, "What's going on?"_

_"Fell...twice." He pointed to his ankle. "Probably just a sprain, but I can't put any weight on it."_

_B.A. picked Face up and carried him the rest of the way. Nobody spoke as they all felt badly about how they had treated their teammate. By the time they were settled into a hotel that night Face was aching everywhere. All he wanted to do was take a shower and go to bed, but his injuries had to be tended to. Hannibal tried pulling off his boot, but his ankle was so grossly swollen that B.A. had to cut it off of him. _

_"I'm going to check to make sure it isn't broken, okay?" Murdock asked._

_Face nodded and shut his eyes. That was when B.A. saw the tears leaking out from under his eyelids._

Just like he saw now in the present.

Face wasn't one to cry...he had been through too much pain in his life for tears. That's when the guys knew that Face was in extreme pain or that he was at the end of his emotional rope. 'And now he's both,' B.A. thought sadly.

Face opened his eyes slowly and immediately wiped away the moisture he felt on his cheeks. All those years had passed and still the memories of that day were devastating and haunted his dreams.

B.A. saw that Face was awake and asked, "Face, you alright?"

Face would have shook his head but it was difficult to do with the brace on, so he did nothing. B.A. walked over to the bed and try as he might to hold it in, Face couldn't help it and he began to sob.

"Oh Face, don't cry." BA wanted to pull Face into an embrace like he did with the kids at the center since he looked like a lost kid right now but with the brace on it wasn't really possible. He felt awkward sitting by his friend's bedside not knowing what to do.

"S…sorry."

"No need to be. Wanna talk?"

No, he didn't want to talk but BA had been witness of his melt down, his still going on melt down. He needed to explain himself.

"It's alright,…just some ….silly dream." It wasn't really convincing coming out between sniffles and sobs.

"Dreams ain't silly, dreams mean something. Your head is working on something that's bothering you, that's what dreams are. I'm here for you man, I may not be a great talker but I can listen."

"Thanks."

"So…you gonna talk or you let me sit here watchin' you getting eaten from the inside out?"

"It's …it's really nothing." Between sniffs and stifled sobs Face told BA about that fateful day in his past. "Silly, huh? After all this years…I'm still wailing like a baby."

"Ain't nothing silly 'bout that. I wouldn't wanna be in your shoes. How old were you then?"

"Eight. Had just changed my name….thought that may help. Nobody wanted Alvin…thought they might want Morrison."

"Oh man, that's tough for an eight year old."

Face was again pressing his hands to his abdomen.

"You still sufferin' them stomach cramps?"

"Hmm…doesn't want to let up. My arm hurts…that's new."

"If you go on like it will be easier to count the parts that don't hurt man, you ripped quite a hole in it."

Face moaned and brought his legs up a bit more. "You need me to get Maggie?"

"No."

"You need to….ehm bring anything out? Whatever direction, you just tell me."

"Can…can you…get some water?"

"Sure, here take the straw, small sips. …That's it."

The water felt good but only for some minutes until it decided to come back out. BA held Face through the painful retching and had just placed him back on the bed when he heard a knock on the door. Face was totally wiped out and trembling and he didn't want to leave his side to answer the door. Instead he just called out and in came Ella and James with a tray of food and some drinks. BA was blocking their view of Face until the two came closer.

"Maggie was called away to a patient. We thought you were maybe hungry…oh my god, child you look terrible." Ella put the tray down and came over to Face immediately stroking a hand over his hair.

Face had his eyes closed but at the contact he moaned and leaned slightly into the touch.

"He ain't up to eating and I can wait 'till later, thanks." BA was caught when his stomach rumbled loudly.

"You just go ahead and eat, I'll sit with your friend."

BA got up and Ella took his place. James brought a chair close and bathed Face's forehead while Ella talked to him soothingly. BA thought it odd how Face would never allow this if he was alright while it did him so much good in his current position.

In the mean time Murdock and Hannibal had taken the old pickup of Mr. Holmes to the motel. Hank and Sue were waiting for them by the van.

"John Smith and H.M Murdock, meet Deputy Susan Monroe," Hank said.

Hannibal held out his hand to the young lady. "You can call me Hannibal."

"And you can call me Sue," she replied shaking his hand.

"You can call me anything but sane," Murdock quipped.

Hannibal rolled his eyes. "Just call him Murdock."

"Sue here is the one that spotted your van here at the motel," Hank beamed proudly. "With an eye like that she's going to go real far."

"It was nothing…you act like I found a needle in a haystack, Hank. I was just glad I could help." She frowned and then added, "I just wish I was here to see who stole it."

"No worries, Chiquita…we always find our man."

'Too bad this time it's a woman,' she thought, but just nodded and smiled at Murdock.

"We don't want to be rude, but we really should get back to Face," Hannibal said.

The mere mention of the man's nickname sent shivers down her spine, but she had to maintain her cool. "Hank was telling me he was injured…how is he doing?"

"Not so good, I'm afraid. But Face is tough…give him a week or two and I bet he'll be back on his feet."

"From your lips to God's ears, Murdock," Hannibal said. "Maggie has him on a lot of medication to fight infection, but unfortunately it's making him sick."

"Ironic how sometimes in order to get better we first need to feel worse," Sue said sympathetically. But Murdock had said a week or two…it was going to be a long wait. 'But so worth it,' she thought.

Murdock nodded. "That's exactly what Ella said to me earlier. Hannibal we better go."

Hank too said, "I'm going to head to the station. Sue, stick around here for a while and keep watch for any suspicious activity.

"Yes, sir," Sue answered with a salute. An evil smile played on her lips as she watched the three men leave in their separate vehicles. "Looks like I know where I can find my man." There was only one Ella in town…Ella Holmes. "Soon I am going to make myself at home at the Holmes residence…and Templeton Peck and I can play house."

Hannibal drove the van while Murdock followed in the pick-up. Neither man realized Murdock's slip at the moment or the consequences it would cause in the near future. Their only though was about getting back to Face.

Ella and James sat by Face and kept up a gentle patter of words. Face was delirious and mumbling incoherently. He had started shivering tremendously and broke out in a sweat.

"I think his fever is breaking," Ella smiled. "But the poor dear seems so confused."

BA had finished his meal a long time ago. At first he had wanted to take over from the Holmes but he had seen that Face relaxed into their ministrations and decided to let them be. Instead he settled at the foot of the bed and rubbed Face's good leg to give additional physical contact to his friend. They had sat like that for about an hour during which Face got more and more delirious. His eyes were darting around the room the brief periods that they were open and he mumbled things about the orphanage, Nam and past missions until his speech slurred so much that it turned into incoherent mumblings.

As his temperature cooled down he drifted into much needed sleep. It didn't last long however, the stomach cramps along with his other pains saw to that. Less than 30 minutes later Face opened his eyes again. He was still delirious but at least his eyes stayed open this time. They darted around between the three people at his side and he was obviously getting aggravated by the second.

Just as BA wanted to speak Face beat him to it, in a very small and afraid voice he asked, "Who…who are you? Where am I?"

"Oh man, here we go again." He muttered under his breath but loud enough for Ella to hear. He gently pushed her out of the way to move closer to Face's head. "Do you remember me kid?"

"N…n…no." Face stuttered.

"Don't be afraid kid, you had an accident. Can you remember your name?" To his own surprise he had a calming influence on the young Face, just as he had on all kids.

"Holmes."

"That's good Holmes, what's your last name?"

"That's it. Holmes….Holmes is my last name. …Morrison Holmes."

Ah, a new one. That explained why he couldn't remember BA. "How old are you Morrison?"

"Eight sir."

"Good boy, how do you feel?"

His eyes were still darting around. "H…hurts."

"It will get better, promised. What's the last thing you remember?" BA had a sinking feeling that he knew what it was.

"I…I…I waited, waited for the family that wants me…sat there all day…must have fallen asleep. Where am I sir?"

His eyes were still darting from one person to the next. BA made a game time decision. Just as the door opened and Hannibal and Murdock came back in he said, "You're with them….your new family that came to adopt you kid, Ella and James Holmes."

Ella was caught off guard and so were Hannibal and Murdock but James caught on to it fast. "Sorry we came late boy, you were asleep already and on our way back we had an accident."

Face's eyes were moist but he looked the most at peace BA could remember to have seen him. "You came…you really came…" was the last thing he whispered before he drifted off to sleep again.

"BA? What was that?"

"Figured he could use some happy moments in life. When Face wakes up he won't remember anyway. And if Morrison wakes up again, ain't bad either."

BA revealed Face's dream to the group and how he had broken down before him.

Stomach pains brought Face back around again as his current self while B.A. was speaking but kept his eyes shut until the room was once again silent. Opening his eyes he focused on B.A. hurt that his friend would reveal such a personal and private moment they shared. "How...how could you?"

"I was just tryin' to help, man," B.A. said looking down.

"Help me? Did you...have...to tell...them?" Face had his hand over his belly and his face was twisted in pain.

"Nah, man...I didn't...I wasn't...I..."

"I feel..like such...a fool." Face gasped, "argh," and gritted his teeth. "This whole...thing...your fault." Face didn't mean it, but he was upset and hurting and it just came out.

"I didn't think you'd remember, Faceman." B.A. looked heartbroken; Face really did blame him afterall.

"It...ahh...doesn't make...it hurt...less...argh." Face knew it was only a matter of time before he was going to be sick again, but he had to apologize first. "So...sorry...Ella and James...put you...in bad...spot."

Ella smiled and took hold of Face's hand. "Nonsense...you did nothing of the sort."

"We have two kids of our own and always wanted more but we couldn't have more after the second one," James added. "I wish we or somebody else could have been there for you back then."

The statement hit Face right in the heart and sent a lump to his throat. "Me...me too." But then he curled his knees up and groaned loudly as his stomach turned viciously.

Hannibal recognized the signs and sent everybody out of the room. "I'm here for you, kid. I'll take care of you."

And that's just what he did for the next hour while Face's stomach rebelled against all the medication. "S...sorry...colonel," he whispered at one point. "You...can...leave me...I'll be okay."

"Face, I know you'll be okay. But I won't be if you make me go."

When it was over and Face was lying still, Hannibal put a hand to his forehead and said. "I know you're feeling lousy, kid, but your fever is down.

"I...just want...to feel...good again," Face said softly.

There was a knock on the door and Maggie peeked her head in. "Is it okay if I come in and check on Face?" After a thorough examination she said, "You're improving nicely. Now all we have to do is finish up the medication, monitor your fluid intake to counterbalance um...well...you know, and then we can see about getting you out of this contraption."

Before anything could ever be right again, however, Face knew he had to have a talk with B.A.


	18. Chapter 18

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 18

Sue entered her apartment and went straight into her bedroom. She pulled a carboard box out from under the bed anxious to add her latest addition to her collection of tools.

One by one she removed the various items and lay them on the comforter in a row. There was rope, tape, chains, a whip, and Face's gun. She took a small bag out of her purse and pulled out a scalpel. Before adding it to the others she walked over to her closet opened the door and stepped inside the small space that was covered from floor to ceiling with pictures of Templeton Peck.

"Oh, Templeton," she moaned in a sexy voice. "Shall we play doctor?" Taking the tip of the scalpel she held it up to a full lenth, blown up picture of Face and slowly dragged in down the man's torso imagining the moment when she would do it for real.

"Face didn't mean those things, B.A." Murdock said. "He's just sick and it's messing with his head."

B.A. was sitting with his head in between his hands. "No, man...Faceman has every right to be mad. I shoulda never said nothin'...he ain't never gonna trust me again."

"Yes he will, B.A. "

"I only was tryin' to help him. He said his name was Morrison Holmes...and then the Holmes' were there...the rest just came out."

Murdock wasn't used to seeing B.A. so upset and it was unnerving. "I understand, big guy. And once you explain to Face he will too."

As if on cue, Hannibal and Maggie exited the room and Hannibal said, "Face is asking for you, B.A."

BA walked into the room. Maggie had dimed the light since Face's headache had worsened over the last hour. BA felt guilty for that too, he had caused him extra stress and the increased headache was the result. Face looked plain miserable, even more than before.

"Hey Faceman."

"BA, I'm so ….sorry….I…"

"You? I'm the one who's sorry. I should never have said anythin' about your dream, especially not in front of Ella and James."

"I…no…you only wanted to help…I…I'm just….you know, I'm so embarrassed about…about crying."

"No need to, really."

"But…I…I should never have said….that it's all your fault…not true…sorry." Face had tears in his eyes and BA was at a loss what to do next.

"Don't feel bad about it, please. I know you're not yourself now and I do feel guilty about the whole thing. I shoulda never treated you the way I did."

Face wiped his eyes, "Sorry."

"Let's just forget it."

"I…I must look like…like a wimp. …It's just…needing Hannibal…for…for..you know…it grates at me."

BA felt awkward, this was not his territory at all. "It's okay Faceman, you don't need to explain yourself. I understand, really. You look tired man, try to sleep some."

"Can't. Can you get …uhmmm…me a mirror?"

"Why can't you sleep? Them stomach pains still bad?" BA removed the Mirror from the wall and took it over to Face."

"Urgh…doesn' t let up for long. Not until I'm off those meds. …I'm so tired. I lost all…ooowww…track of time. Don't know how much longer …Maggie will make me…take it."

"We've been here for about 4 days now and your breathing does sound better. Maggie said seven days of this strong one followed by a mild one. That's three more, you did more than half." Truth was they had all lost track of time somehow without regular eating and sleeping.

"Three days…of hell…great. …My inside will be…turned out after that. …Let me see."

BA held the mirror for Face to look at himself. "What you're looking for?"

"Need to see…what…agrh…you people did to my …hair. Now that…found family…that wants me…can't look like stray dog. …need to…cut…back too."

"You were laying on the back of your head then. You've been in the halo for six days now; Maggie said something about nine initially. Maybe it will come off soon too and then you can see a proper hairdresser. 'Sides we can't have those people adopt you anyway."

"Why?"

"You really don't know? 'Cause you ours. We already adopted you all those years back and I won't allow anyone to snatch one of my family members away."

"It…uhmm…it felt good what James said…to be wanted…to know…I could have belonged…arrgggh…to a family back then." Face had his eyes closed by now, exhaustion was claiming him.

"Lot's of folks woulda taken you home, Faceman…you only wasn't lucky to meet the right ones. Sleep tight, I'm here for you." BA sat at the side of the bed as Face slowly drifted off. He held his smaller and now limp hand between his and settled in for the vigil.

In the mean time the others sat together in the family room. Ella was in tears and James hovered over her.

"I feel so bad. We always wanted more kids but we never went to adopt one. We could have made the life of one of those kids better, and ours too."

"You couldn't have known. And you made Face's life better today. Did you see that look on his face when he thought you were this family that never showed up, when he thought they did show up? It's rare to see Face like that and who knows, with any luck you turned this nightmare that's hunting him since he's eight into a dream with a happy ending."

James put a hand on the shoulder of his wife. "We now consider that boy our son, make sure you always treat him well colonel."

"Always," Hannibal promised.

"Hey Hank, what's shaking?"

"Oh hey, Sue," The Sherriff said getting out of his patrol car. "Nothing is shaking…except for maybe my gut these days. I really need to cut out those donuts."

Sue laughed and the pair began walking toward the station. "I think you look great."

"Flattery will get you…well…it will get you everywhere."

"In that case have I told you that I love your hair cut?"

This time Hank laughed while holding the door open. "Where were you?"

"I just came from the motel…thought I would patrol the area for a while." She conveniently left out the fact that she had driven out to the barn and scoped out the land from there to the Holmes estate.

"Notice anything…or anyone…suspicious?"

"Nothing," Sue said shaking her head as if disappointed. "Say…any word on how the A-team's injured man is doing?"

"Face?"

"Sorry…I couldn't remember his name." The lies were flowing so easily.

"I spoke with Maggie earlier today and she said that he is doing better. His fever is down and they are hoping to remove the halo vest either tomorrow or the day after."

'Act shocked,' she told herself. "I hadn't realized it was so bad that he had to wear one of those."

Hank sighed. "Yeah…he was banged up pretty good. Real shame, too…from the little time I've spent with him and from what I've been told, he's a real nice guy."

"You know what they say, Hank," she said sorrowfully. "Nice guys always finish last."

They went about their regular business all the while Sue pondered just how "nice" Templeton Peck would be by the time she was through with him.

This time it was the sounds of somebody else having a bad dream that woke Face. The problem was that B.A. was still holding onto his hand and was starting to squeeze tighter and tighter.

"I won't let you fall, Faceman," B.A. moaned. "I gotcha."

"B.A., wake up," Face said grimacing at the intense pressure upon his hand.

"You just stay still…I ain't gonna drop you."

"Please…wake up…B.A.!" But B.A. couldn't hear him and was pressing harder and harder.

Hannibal and Murdock heard the commotion in the room and came running in. "B.A.! Wake up," Hannibal said shaking the larger man's shoulder while Murdock tried to pry his fingers off of the now pale and shaking Face.

"Sergeant, wake up…that's an order!"

B.A. jumped up releasing his grip on Face's hand, his gold chains rattling loudly. He looked around wildly unsure of what was happening.

Hannibal exhaled loudly in relief; it was unusual for B.A. to be so out of it that he had to order him awake. "You okay, B.A.?"

"Yeah," he answered gruffly.

"But I don't think Face is," Murdock said while bracing the already swelling appendage.

"On no…I didn't?" B.A. asked looking horrified.

Hannibal needed to get B.A. out of there before he lost it so he sent him to get Maggie and then went over to get a closer look at the damage. "Can you move it?"

Face tried to move the fingers and they were all glad to see that he was successful; however it was extremely painful and caused Face to bite his lip and wince at the action.

A painful examination, an x-ray and an ice pack later, Face and Hannibal remained alone in the room while Murdock tried to calm down B.A. Maggie had said that it was just some soft tissue damage, almost like a sprain, and it would heal up fine within a few days.

"Colonel…I think B.A. was dreaming about that time when I started falling out of the chopper in Nam…you remember?"

"How could I ever forget."

_They had been in a hot spot and several choppers had refused to land and pick them up. But Murdock managed to get his bird down, pick up the survivors of the carnage and get his overloaded bird back in the air. They were under heavy fire from all sides, the chopper got several holes but was holding up. Some of the men, especially those close to the door got shot too. Suddenly the door gunner let go off his weapon, he had been shot in the arm._

_BA was always the one who had a place right in the middle of the cargo bay, as far from the flying by trees and air as possible. Face was close to the gunner and took hold of him._

_'BA, get him inside.'_

_BA grabbed the man and pulled him inside, giving up his space and shifting closer to the door. Face took the position of the gunner. Just as he bent forward to get the gun in a proper position the chopper was attacked with a missile and Murdock made a sudden move too avoid it. _

_Face was propelled forward with nothing to hold onto than the gun. He was dangling outside the chopper threatening to fall any minute. Hannibal watched in horror but was too far back to do anything. BA had seen it too and threw himself to the ground, pushing men out of his way to get to his friend. Before he could get to him his grip slipped and he started falling. Hannibal thought he was dying and shouted Face's name. _

_Face had lost his grip on the gun but managed to hold on to the skids with one hand, flailing around with the other to get a better grip. Just as he closed his eyes and thought this was his end he felt a large hand grip his free hand. He looked up and saw BA, hanging out of the door himself, only his lower half in the chopper, being held by several men inside the bird. While Face's other hand kept slipping from the skids BA held onto him as if his fist was made of iron. They stayed like this for some time until Murdock got them out of the hot area and to a spot where he could lower the bird enough for Face to get ground under his feet and come back inside._

"You had a whole group of guardian angels that day, you both had. It was a wonder none of you was hit, dangling out like a flag."

"My hand was swollen three times… the size it has ….now ….for over a week." Face bit his lip and pressed on his abdomen a little more, he was still laying at his side with his legs drawn up.

"It sure was. What is it kid? Stomach again?"

"Hmm…hurts."

"It will get better once you're off the meds."

"Don't know….how much more…can take."

"You're strong kid, it will be over soon. Maggie said another three days and half of today is gone already."

"Just…just want the pain to end."

"I know kid, I wish I could take it away from you." Hannibal wiped Faces forehead with a wet washcloth. Although his fever was almost gone the cool cloth felt good against his aching head and was soothing.

"BA?"

"Want me to get him?"

"Hmm."

"Okay kid." Hannibal went to the door ready to yell for BA but he was right outside. "Hey, Face was asking for you."

BA was at his side in three big strides. "Hey Faceman, sorry…"

"BA…wanna thank you…for holding on…arghh…not let me fall…saved my life."

"Anytime, Faceman, anytime."

Face brought his legs up a little more and cramped up in pain before he lost the battle with his stomach again. After the attack was over he was delirious and mumbling incoherently and soon drifted off. When he opened his eyes again several hours later Hannibal hoped that the rest would have done him good and he would be more coherent now.

His eyes darted around until they came to rest on Hannibal as if he was trying to place him.

"Did…did they…leave?"

"Who? Who are you talking of?"

"The…owww…the family….the man and woman…that came for me." Face was still in a world of pain. The sleep he had got had not done much to help that and his body was trembling. Also there was mental pain present in his eyes, the feeling of being left alone once again.

"No, kid, no they're here, just went to get some food. Let me get them."

Murdock and BA were out in the other room and he sent them for James and Ella. The woman was first to reach Face's bedside. "How are you feeling my dear?"

"I'm fine." His voice was shaky and he was anything but fine but Hannibal noticed the way his features relaxed and his eyes lit up. He was able to manage the pain if only they stayed with him, his family.

James took Face's good hand and rubbed it. "No boy, you're not fine, you're in pain and I don't want you to hide it from us. We'll help you through it."

Insecurities lit up in Face. He couldn't let them know how damaged he was or they would send him away, he had to be strong, hide his pain.

"Sir, really I feel much better….I….I….I can…help….just…tell…me…I…"

"Shh child, it's okay. Nobody want's you to help, just rest and get well. We're here for you, forever."

"I…oh god…I…sorry…gonna…"

Ella held a bowl and James supported Face through a violent attack of retching.

Hannibal stood back and couldn't help the feeling of jealousy for the bond they had developed so easily. He quietly slipped out the door and stood for a moment leaning heavily against the wall with his eyes shut.

"You okay, colonel?" Murdock asked taking notice of the weary appearance of Hannibal.

"Fine...I just need some air. I'll be outside if Face needs me...but it doesn't look as if he does anymore."

"Hannibal...that ain't true man. He need you, man...but he don't even know who he is right now."

Hannibal knew he was acting like a spoiled child and that Face deserved to feel loved by anybody and in whatever state of mind he was in. But it didn't make it hurt less that he was turning to somebody else. "I know, B.A. I just think I need some time alone is all."

Hannibal took a seat on the porch swing trying to distract himself from the images of Ella and James hovering over Face. Face was his boy...the son he never had. Seeing him acting as if he had a new family made his heart ache.

He remembered just how young Face looked when he first met him in Nam and he also remembered the exact moment he felt a special connection to the boy.

_Face had only been assigned to the unit for about a month when there was word that Charlie was spotted in the area. Short on men, Hannibal was having people pull doubles to keep watch for any signs of trouble. Face was finished with his second shift but his replacement never showed up. Rather than leave his post and thus compromise the unit, Face just stayed put and did another 16 hour watch. Luckily this time he was relieved by B.A. who, as always, was right on time._

_"Hey, man...you look like crap."_

_Face just smiled not having the energy for a witty comeback._

_"You alright?"_

_Another nod; he wasn't about to complain over something so unimportant as sleep._

_"Hannibal's waiting for you in his quarters." B.A. raised his eyebrows. "he looked pretty pissed...what you do, man?_

_Face shrugged, patted B.A. on the shoulder and started walking slowly back. By the time he was standing in front of Hannibal he was dizzy and weak from exhaustion and lack of food._

_"Where the hell have you been, kid?"_

_Face didn't want to get anybody in trouble, but he also knew that if he didn't tell Hannibal the truth he would be in hot water with the colonel. And in his current state the last thing he needed was a few rounds through Hannibal's punishment course. As it was, he was finding it difficult to stay upright._

_"I...um...was on watch."_

_"Try again, Lieutenant."_

_"I was on watch...sir?" Was that what Hannibal wanted...to be addressed properly? No such luck._

_"You were due back hours ago." Hannibal's ears were getting red...never a good sign._

_"I...um...I..." The room was starting to blur and Face's knees were knocking. _

_"Spit it out," Hannibal ordered._

_Face started swaying slightly and his thoughts were becoming fuzzy. "Colonel...permission...to sit...sir." But Face didn't wait for that permission; his knees folded underneath him and he landed on the ground._

_"Jesus, kid," Hannibal exclaimed coming around from behind his desk._

_Face had his head hanging between his bent up knees trying to quell the nausea. "Sorry, sir," _

_"Were you really out there all that time? That's 32 hours...are you crazy?" Hannibal wasn't mad...he was worried about the young man's health. He was also mighty impressed at his work ethic._

_But Face only heard anger. He cringed and tried to get back up on his feet only to fall forward and into the arms of his commanding officer._

_"Easy kid...I gotcha," Hannibal soothed gently. _

_"Feel weird...dizzy...tired," Face whispered, his trembling body leaning against Hannibal's torso. _

_"You just lie still and breathe slow." Hannibal looked down into blue eyes staring wearily back into his own and he was overcome with emotion. He couldn't describe it, but he felt as if he were holding onto a part of himself. They remained in that position until Murdock came in close to an hour later and helped him get Face back to the barracks. From that day on he took Face under his wing and into his heart._

Hannibal's thoughts were interrupted as a scream came from inside the house. It was Face. 'Needed or not...I'm damn sure gonna be there for my boy.'

Sue watched as Hannibal bolted into the house wondering what it was that made him move so fast. Her only hope was that it wasn't something that would set back her plans.

With each day her hunger for the man seemed to grow. She longed to be able to touch him...to hold him...to hurt him. She wanted to see pain in his beautiful eyes and to see his muscles quiver in agony and the fear of what was to come.

She wanted to tie him down and slowly cut into that smooth beautiful flesh.

There was only one thing she wouldn't do...she wouldn't damage his face.


	19. Chapter 19

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 19

Hannibal didn't know what to expect when he got back to Face's bedside, but he never expected to see James sitting on the floor, cradling what appeared to be a broken arm; Ella looking shocked and hovering over him and a very distraught Face, or rather Morrison, cowering in the far corner of the room repeating "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over again, tears spilling from his eyes.

Murdock was there trying to calm Face but keeping his distance. He had been in the other room when he heard Face scream. BA came running right behind Hannibal.

"BA, take them out of here and call Maggie. Murdock, let me handle Face." He knelt down about 5 feet away from Face and started to talk softly. "Kid? Morrison, it's okay kid, calm down."

Face didn't show any reaction, he just kept up his pattern of words. The closer Hannibal moved the more aggravated the boy got but he needed to get to him to calm him. After a minute he worked up the nerve, lunged forward and grabbed Face by the arms. He tried to pull away but was cornered.

"Morrison, listen to me. Look at me. Stop talking Morrison." It took a while but finally the words were replaced by sobs.

"That's better. Now tell me what happened in here."

Face hiccupped and sobbed and it was difficult to make out the words in between. "I…I…did…I..they…gone…I drove….away." He was close to hyperventilation by the time he had pressed the words out.

"It's okay, kid, nobody's gone. They just need to see the doctor, they'll be back soon." He whispered to Murdock to go and find out from James what happened while he tried to calm Face without any success.

"James, how are you? What happened?"

"Man, I sure hope Maggie brings some pain meds soon, hurts like hell. Ella was holding the boy's hand sitting at the bedside when he drifted off, she needed a bathroom break and got up. I waited a little and then took her spot. As soon as I touched his arm, both hands shot forward and took my arm. He was talking low in a foreign language and then brought his leg up and in one swift move broke my arm. I yelped in pain and something in his eyes changed, as if he was focusing. Then he screamed, shoved me backwards, scrambled back, fell of the bed and continued until he was in the corner."

"I'm sorry James. Please don't hate him now, it's not his fault. He has flashbacks to Nam anytime he's sick and we should never have left you alone with him. Guess we thought an 8 year old wouldn't have all those memories." Murdock wrung his baseball cap in his hands.

"I'm not mad at him."

"My god, James, let me see." Maggie had just come in closely followed by BA who had waited for her at the door. Murdock used the chance to get back to Hannibal and Face and fill the colonel in.

"I need to set it in my clinic, you have to join me, let's go."

"No Mags, wait. You need to take a look at the boy first."

Maggie climbed the stairs to the apartment and heard the hysteric sobbing coming from there. Face had not calmed down at all. He was blaming himself for driving another set of parents away.

"Hannibal, calm him."

"That's just what I'm trying, Mags. No way though."

"Okay, oh how I hate this." She filled a syringe with a clear liquid. "Tackle him and hold him still, I need to sedate him before he hurts himself."

Hannibal had to use all of his strength to contain the thrashing Face and he was afraid that he was doing more harm than good. Finally Maggie jabbed him in the leg with the needle and a few moments later Face was out. B.A. helped him get Face back into bed while Murdock assisted James out to the car and Maggie walked with Ella.

Before they drove off, Ella said, "Please tell Face that none of this is his fault. James will be just fine."

"I will," Murdock promised, but thought, 'I'll tell him, but there's no way he's going to forgive himself.'

"Murdock, I'm not sure how long we will be. I'll probably keep the Holmes' at my clinic overnight."

Murdock nodded, "That's probably a good idea. They could use a time out from all the drama, and we're going to have to do some serious damage control with Face."

Maggie smiled understandingly." Call me if you need me,"

Face was starting to stir a couple of hours after being given the drug as Maggie had only given him a light dose. His entire body ached and he was sick to his stomach. "What…what hit me?"

His question was met with dead silence as his friends didn't know how to tell Face what had gone down earlier.

Face felt his blood run cold. "Guys…what…what's wrong?"

Hannibal cleared his throat. "Um…well…James broke his arm. Maggie took him and Ella to her clinic to set it."

"Oh no, that's awful," Face replied.

Silence filled the room again until Face shifted to get more comfortable. "Ugh," he groaned. "Why am I so sore?"

"Well…um…Maggie had to sedate you and I…um…had some trouble holding you still."

"Hannibal? Oh God…what did I do?"

More silence.

"Tell me…tell me I didn't…please…" Face started breathing hard.

"Kid, you had a flashback…thought you were in Nam."

"It wasn't you fault, Facey."

"Murdock…yes…was. I…hurt…him. I…broke his…arm."

Hannibal stood up and started toward the bed, until Face held out his hand in a "stop" position. "No…no…stay away. I…I'm dangerous."

Hannibal froze in place. "No you're not, Face. You're sick…we should know better than to leave you alone with others."

Face was turning red and sweating. "See…I am dangerous…can't be trusted."

"Nobody blames you Face…especially not James or Ella," Murdock insisted.

"And we all trust you, man," B.A. added.

Face's heart was pounding; his pulse racing. The team was starting to move closer to the bed in order to comfort him, but all Face wanted was to be alone. Face felt like he had to run…he had to get away before he hurt somebody else. Adrenaline took over and he swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up. "Stand back," he threatened. "I don't…want…to hurt…you."

Hannibal held his arms out and motioned for Murdock and B.A. to step back. He recognized the look in Face's eyes and the sway in his stance. "Let me help you, Face."

"No…I'm bad…too late…to help me."

"Oh, kid. Please…I love you…let me be there."

Those three little words hit Face like a ton of bricks. "You…love me?" Face fell forward and into the open arms of Hannibal.

Hannibal lowered Face to the ground, held him close and uttered the very same words he had all those years ago in Vietnam. "Easy, kid…I gotcha."

"Don't…don't let…go," Face pleaded and then passed out.

They were in the same position like all those years ago in Vietnam. Only then Hannibal was sure to hold onto Face, now he wasn't. He couldn't tell whether the man in his arms was Face or Temp or Holmes or Morrison or even little Alvin. All he knew was that he needed to protect him, needed to make sure he knew he wasn't damaged, that all this wasn't his fault. And he knew that this was going to be one hell of a job.

"I won't let go," he whispered to the unconscious body. "Never."

Together they maneuvered him back to the bed. BA, always the mechanic, took a close look at the halo. "Damn, them pins are both lose now. All the thrashin' he did earlier on was too much on them."

Hannibal came over to have a look too. They were still holding in but just barely. "Think we should screw them tight?"

"I won't touch it, don't want to mess with the Faceman's head."

Hannibal sighed and picked up the screw driver. He didn't really want to do it to but didn't also want to risk them coming out. He tightened a little but it didn't really help, they were still loose.

"Should I call Maggie?"

"No captain, it's four in the morning. Let her rest, he's sleeping now, we'll just watch it closely."

Face slept for about 30 minutes before waking again. "Any word from…James."

"No, he'll be fine, don't worry."

"It's all my fault…the people…I don't…drive away…in time…I hurt…them."

"Stop this kind of talk, kid. It's not true. It's not your fault you had a flashback. James touched your hand while you were asleep, it triggered a reaction. We shouldn't have left them alone with you."

"I'm dangerous." Right now he looked anything but. Pale, sweaty and with a hand pressed to his abdomen.

"You're not and now hush it before I show you how dangerous BA Baracus can get. Sleep, it's in the middle of the night. Things will look up in the mornin'."

However, his stomach had a different opinion than to sleep and he was sick again before he passed out.

Maggie called a little while later to find out how Face was and promised to rent another x-ray machine first thing in the morning and then come over with the Holmes'. She wanted to see if maybe he could get out of the halo vest early and skip back to BA's brace so she didn't have to set new pins again.

Face was in and out of consciousness, skipping between Morrison and his present self which left him either sobbing hysterically or feeling depressed and guilty. The speed at which he changed was dizzying. At some point exhaustion took over and he slept for nearly twenty minutes before opening his eyes again. He was calm, too calm for Hannibal's liking. His eyes darted around the room before settling on Hannibal.

"When are you taking me?"

"Taking you to where?"

"Aren't you a policeman?"

"No, I'm not."

"Who are you?"

'That depends on who you are at the moment kid.' He sounded like one of his child selves and Hannibal decided it safe to play along with the earlier story."I'm doc Smith."

"Oh, you're here to take care of Mr. Holmes?"

"No, I'm here to take care of you."

"But…but he needs care."

"I know and he's getting it. Maggie is taking care of him."

"Who's Maggie?"

"Ehm…my wife. She's the doctor for the adults and I'm the one for the kids." Now that lie came easy.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"What about your stomach and head?"

He removed the hand from his abdomen. "I'm fine."

"You know that you shouldn't lie, especially not to your doctor. Don't you, kid?"

"When's the police coming?"

'You sure started your deflecting tactics early, no wonder you became a good conman.' Hannibal thought, out loud he asked "Why should the police come?"

"To take me… to Juvenile."

"And why would they do that?"

"I broke his arm."

"But not deliberately. You won't go to Juvenile for that."

"Sure?"

"Sure."

"When are they coming back for me?"

"They'll be here soon kid."

Face, or rather Morrison, cast his eyes down and fidgeted with his blanket.

"What is it, kid?"

"I…uhmm…nothing."

"Remember not to lie to your doctor."

"I…I mean….I know….I know they can't keep me after….after what I did…but….but I…I really don't want to go back to the orphanage."

Hannibal now understood whom Face had been talking of. "No kid, no. It's not the orphanage that is coming for you. The Holmes' are coming back soon, they're not returning you."

"You mean it?" A little hope crept into his features but there was still more doubt than anything. His face soon turned into a mask of pain and Hannibal held him through another painful stomach cramp. BA and Murdock had stayed back out of Face's line of vision so far but now came forward to offer some comfort to their sick friend. That's how Maggie and Ella found them some minutes later.

Face lit up at the sight of Ella. "You…you…came back."

"Of course I did, child," Ella said.

Face's expression quickly darkened and his lip quivered. "I'm so…sorry. Didn't mean…to hurt…Mr. Holmes."

Murdock and B.A. moved away from the bed to allow Ella to get closer. She leaned over and put a gentle kiss on Face's forehead. "It was an accident, Morrison…nobody blames you. James is a tough old coot…he'll be just fine."

Hannibal smiled his appreciation at the older woman before saying, "Morrison, I believe Dr. Sullivan wants to take an x-ray of your head and neck to see if you can get out of your brace."

"Okay, I can't wait to get out of this thing. I feel like a robot."

Maggie chuckled. "Just stay real still for me."

By the time Maggie was back with the results Face was sleeping again.

"The poor boy is just exhausted."

"I know, Ella," Maggie sighed. "It's the side effects of the medication that are wiping him out. But it won't be long at all until he's through with them."

"So, what's up, doc?" Murdock asked in his best Bugs Bunny voice. "Can Facey lose his Halo and become a mere mortal like the rest of us?"

Maggie smiled brightly. "Everything looks really good…as soon as he wakes we'll get started. But only if he's back to his current self."

"Why?" B.A. asked.

"It isn't a pleasant procedure and I'd rather not have to hurt a child," Maggie replied honestly.

"That bad?" Murdock asked.

"It's over quickly, but I have to unscrew the pins from his head."

"Ouch," the three awake team members said together.

"Exactly. Not to mention that it is easier to direct an adult in what to do rather than a child."

Hannibal snorted, "Easier? Are you sure you have met my Lieutenant?"

"What 'bout me?" Face asked groggily.

"We was just talking about you getting out of that thing," B.A. smiled, and pointed at Face's head.

"Really?" Face asked suddenly wide awake.

"Yes, really," Maggie said as she began gathering her tools.

"You're really excited, kid. Has it been that bad?"

"Not really," Face lied. With a wry smile he added, "It hasn't been that bad, but I sure smell pretty bad. When can I shower?"

"Whoa, boy! One thing at a time. Ella, would you mind making us a pot of coffee?" Maggie didn't want her to have to witness Face suffering any more than she already had.

Face hadn't noticed Ella in the room until Maggie spoke to her. All the color drained from his face. "Ella…I'm…I didn't see you. I'm so…so…sorry about what I did."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Ella contradicted. "You weren't in your right mind…if you were, I know you wouldn't hurt anybody." She paused and then added, "And that goes for James too. Plus now he gets to have me wait on him hand and foot…he may actually thank you later." With a wink she was out the door.

"It's easiest if we remover the vest with Face seated upright. It will also make it easier to get him into the other brace." Once they had Face positioned into a chair, Maggie began dishing out orders. "Murdock, you stand behind Face and gently hold onto the metal ring. Hannibal and B.A., stand on either side of him. Face, I'm afraid this is going to be a little uncomfortable. Just try to stay still and breathe deeply."

Face became dizzy as he felt the sharp pains in the sides of his head as Maggie slowly unscrewed the pins. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth and he tightly squeezed Hannibal's and B.A. hands.

"All done," Maggie announced.

Face opened his eyes, but quickly shut them again as the room began to turn. "Ugh," he moaned.

"What's wrong, Face?" Maggie asked. "Dizzy?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Just breathe. All I want to do is clean the pin sites and bandage them for you and then we can get you back into bed. This may sting a bit."

Face hissed as the disinfectant made contact with the open holes on his skull. "You need…to get… a new dictionary, Maggie," he rasped out.

"Why's that?" she asked puzzled.

"Uncomfortable and sting…more like agonize and burn," he joked, although it was really how it had felt.

"Faceman must be doin' better…he's whinin' again," B.A. grumbled.

Although Face had whined it was just a cover for how bad he really felt. Sitting up didn't help at all and he would have slumped to the side for sure had he not been held up by his friends. Just when he thought he was going to pass out the door opened. There stood James, grinning at Face from behind his heavy cast.

"James…I…I'm…I'm sorry, really sorry."

"Oh shut up boy, Ella told me all about how you make yourself worse with guilt, that's going to stop right now, you hear me?"

"Face cast his eyes down and mumbled "Yes sir."

"Come on boy, cheer up. Your new brace looks good. And you know what?"

Face shook his head while James came closer and sat at the edge of Face's bed. "I get to embrace you properly …son."

Face's eyes were moist and he couldn't stifle a single sob as he was escorted back to the bed and soon he lay on James shoulder, supported by him.

Hannibal stepped back from the bed. He couldn't do anything against his jealousy and now James had even called him son and had broken Face's defenses. He had felt for Face like a father for a son for years, ever since that incident in Nam but he had never said the word.

Face did a lot more of that whining over the course of the next two days, which they all saw as a good sign.

Although he was wearing the new brace except when sleeping, his head felt heavy and his neck weak. "I feel like a bobble-head," he commented to the others. And even though Maggie assured him that it was totally normal and a result of his musculature not being activated for two weeks, it was still frustrating. But it was getting better and that's what Face tried to focus on.

The good news was that he was on his last round of antibiotics and the constant stomach cramps and nausea would be coming to an end as would the constant flashbacks which had already started to decline in frequency.

One of Face's happiest moments in weeks came on the evening of his second day without the Halo. "Can somebody cut my hair?" he asked.

"I'll do it, muchacho," Murdock volunteered.

"No way, fool. Faceman don't want no crazy man comin' near him with scissors."

Murdock rolled his eyes. "This coming from a man with stripes shaved into his head."

"I'd be happy to cut your hair, Templeton," Ella said.

"Now that is an offer I just can't refuse," Face beamed with a full smile. And as he went to bed that night, he looked like the old Faceman…handsome and healthy, or at least healthier than he had in the past two weeks .

While Face and the others slept better than they had since the whole ordeal began, Sue was wide awake in her apartment.

The anticipation of what she was getting ready to do made it impossible for her to sleep. Running through her plans and thinking about how she would have Face all to herself and at her complete mercy turned her on and made her tingle all over.

"Soon, my dear," she said staring his picture on the eye and tracing his perfect lips with her finger. "Soon…it'll be just me and you…forever."


	20. Chapter 20

After Bad Rock 

_Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

_Extra Warning_: This is the chapter in which it starts to get graphic...you have been warned...again!

Chapter 20

Face slept through the night for the first time since the accident. He woke up happy and so excited. Maggie came back to his room in the morning and announced that she was going to check him over completely. After she was done she turned a cold and no-nonsense glare at him.

"Okay Face, here are the rules. You're done with the strong antibiotics but I'm giving you a milder tablet version and I expect you to take them all. If I catch you palming them you'll give me the perfect excuse to give you injections in your backside. Your lungs cleared nicely but they're not free of mucus yet. If you stop medication now the pneumonia may come back. As a treat I'll remove that IV port now since you started keeping some food down this morning. You also don't need the brace anymore ,leave it off, put it back on only when it hurts too much and make sure you get enough rest."

Face was in the middle of his morning nap when Maggie came crashing into the room.

"Hank just called, we have huge problems. Those rockers that were arrested were just some of them. Two more groups are headed here and are expected in about an hour."

"Damn."

Face had woken up from the sound of Maggie's entrance and now saw the way Hannibal was looking at him, weighing the options.

"Just go and help colonel, I'll be fine here with Ella and James."

Hannibal took a good look at him sighed and nodded, "Okay men, let's go. James, we take your old truck." He stroked Face's hair as a good bye . "We'll be as fast as possible kid, be good."

"I'll come with you, you might need a doctor." Together they were out of the house in seconds leaving Face, James and Ella behind.

In the car Murdock voiced his concern. "Colonel, if we're seen around we need to blow this joint and you know how good it does Face to be with the Holmes'."

"I know… we just have to try and stay out of sight."

The plan may have been to stay out of sight, but Sue saw their every move as the four of them piled into the pick-up and sped away. She had expected one or possibly two of the team to assist Hank, but never all three of them plus Maggie. It was almost too perfect.

Hank had called her on her car radio telling her what was going on and asking her to patrol the area. "But he didn't tell me where I should start," she said to herself. "I'll just keep a look out right here for a while and then I better make sure that Ella and James are okay."

Thirty minutes after the group left, Ella heard a knock on the door and looked out the peep hole before answering.

"Who is it, dear?" James asked.

"Oh…it's Deputy Sue," she said opening up the door. "Sue, hello. Please do come inside."

Sue removed her hat, put her large heavy bag down on the floor and smiled. "Hi Ella. Hi James. Earl sent me to make sure all was okay over here."

"Oh that was nice of him. We're just fine."

Face heard an unfamiliar voice downstairs and his radar immediately went off. Slowly he got out of the bed and walked to the stairs. When he realized that they were talking to an officer of some sort that they were familiar with, he thought it safe to go back to his room. No need exposing himself to an authority figure unless absolutely necessary…he was a wanted fugitive after all.

"Please have a seat, Sue. Let me get you some tea?"

Sue smiled apologetically. "I really must be getting back, but first I'd feel better if you let me check the premises to make sure none of those hoodlums are hiding out."

"That's awfully nice of you to be concerned for us," James said.

"I think I'll start in the basement and work my way up." Sue was well aware that Face was in an upstairs bedroom…she had seen him through binoculars the other day. What she needed to do was get them as far out of earshot as possible. "Would you mind showing me the way?"

The trio moved into the kitchen. Sue walked behind the elderly couple who had their backs to her. She took her gun out of its holster and said in a low, cold voice, "Turn around real slow and don't say a word or I'll blow you away."

The Holmes' did as told, their faces filled with a mixture of fear and confusion.

"Now it's not you I'm after. You do exactly as I say and nobody will get hurt." She turned her head toward the ceiling as if looking upstairs. "Well, at least I won't hurt you two."

"Templeton?" Ella asked dumbfounded.

Sue nodded. "Yes."

"What has he done to you?" James asked.

"Oh nothing…at least yet," she leered. "But soon he'll be doing anything and everything I tell him."

"Please…don't hurt him," Ella pleaded.

"Oh…he'll hurt…trust me…he'll hurt. But if you try to scream and warn him…I'll kill him. Now let's get down those stairs…move."

Once Ella and James were gagged and tied up to a cement post in the basement, Sue emerged and went for her bag in the foyer. "Let the games begin."

Face heard footsteps on the stairs and just assumed it was Ella or James. But when the door opened and in walked an attractive blonde he was taken aback.

"Oh, excuse me," Sue said shyly. "I'm just checking over the place for Ella and James…I didn't realize they had company."

"That…that's okay," Face smiled brightly, but something didn't sit right with him.

"My name is Sue…Deputy Sue Monroe." She entered the room and held out her hand to him.

The voice…there was something about her voice. "Templeton Peck," he countered shaking the outstretched hand.

'Look surprised,' she ordered herself. 'Wait…you're the Faceman. So this is where Hank has been keeping you hidden."

Face nodded, and then winced at the movement in his still sore neck.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine. Still a bit sore." She seemed genuine enough, but what was it about her that made him nervous?

"Hank told us all about what has been going on, just not where you were staying."

"Well, you found me." Face smiled again, showing his perfect white teeth. "Where are the Homes'?"

"I'm afraid they're tied up at the moment." A wicked grin played on her lips. "Literally."

"Huh?" Face questioned, but before he could ask anything more, he was looking down the barrel of a shot gun.

Sue licked her lips and gave him a seductive stare. "Honey…I'm ho-o-me!"

"Colonel, you think they'll fall for the same trick as last time?" Murdock was skeptical as Hannibal started preparing the same trap as before.

"Why not, those that were involved last time are in jail, the others don't know."

"What puzzles me is that they didn't all come the last time. Why split up?"

"Don't know, maybe they thought Bad Rock was too small and they wouldn't need all their people to bring it down. Or maybe it took the others longer to group, who knows. Makes it easier for us, half of the gang is out of the way already."

"Hmm, but still…it's odd."

"Hank, who reported them coming in?"

"Oh that was Sue, Susan Monroe or rather a contact of hers. They are grouping at the same dinner the others did. Last thing I heard they are still there waiting for more to come."

"Susan Monroe, the one who found ma van?"

"Yeah, the very one. She's new to us and I'm really glad to have her around. Very sharp woman, I tell you Colonel, if she had not been on leave the first time you people came, you and Face would never have escaped from my cells."

"That would have been a shame."

"If she found ma van I like her."

"Right now she's out checking the perimeter, likes doing that a lot. Let me contact her and see how things are going."

"What…what do you want? Hand me in to the military? Surely we can talk about that."

"Oh don't worry honey, I don't want any military involved, I want you all to myself."

"What did you do to the Holmes?"

"Don't you worry, they're fine, just out of the way. Someone will find them soon. You on the other hand will be hurting. But believe me, it's the good kind of hurt, you'll beg me for more in no time honey."

She produced a syringe from her bag and held it up. "Much as I would like to start our little game here and now I'm afraid they'll come and disturb us. You and I are going on a little journey.

All color drained from Face upon seeing the syringe. "You're not afraid of needles are you? Oh, that's a shame, but don't worry, I'll make it up to you, you'll see. But you have to be a good little boy and take your medicine for me."

She was rummaging in her bag without taking the gun away from Face when her radio cracked. "See, they're disturbing already. Instead of answering it she produced three pairs of handcuffs and a leather gag. "I'm sorry, hon, raise your hands over your head to the bedpost." She cuffed his hands together to one of the bedposts then moved to cuff his ankles to the bedposts before fixing the gag on him. Then she picked up her radio when Hank tried again.

"Hey Hank what's up. …you tried before? Oh sorry, must have been out of reach. I've been checking the basements of some of the farmers more outside on the west part of town to make sure no one is holing up there." Face and the Holmes were at the east side of town. "I got a call about two minutes ago, they haven't moved yet, but she said it looks like they're getting ready."

"Okay, they'll need about thirty minutes to get here. Make sure you're back with us in twenty."

"Roger."

She approached Face again, removed his gag, and ran a hand over his body. In her mind she saw the scalpel scraping and slicing through tanned skin but she knew there was no time for it now. "Twenty minutes honey, that means at least thirty before they come looking for me and then they'll go to the other side of town. Plenty of time to get you prepared to move out. I can't wait to get you settled in our home and then I can take proper care of you." She picked up the syringe and emptied the content into Face's thigh.

It took a little while before Face felt fatigue creep into his bones, it was as if he was sleeping with his eyes wide open. He had had that feeling before but couldn't remember when. He wasn't able to move or speak but felt and heard everything.

"Oh honey, how I've been longing for you. Now we need to get you changed, shall we? I brought you a nice suit and shirt. Can't travel with you in sweats and a t-Shirt…that's not your style."

She undid the cuffs at his ankles but he wasn't able to kick out, all he could do was to weakly move his legs a little bit. "Oh, oh, oh, I told you I'll take care of your every need. You lay still and I'll dress you. If you don't comply I'll have to punish you my dear."

She slowly pulled down his pants making sure her hands had as much contact with skin as possible while all the time talking to him. "I've been waiting for you honey, I've got us a nice and very secluded hut deep in the forest. Nobody knows of the place, nobody will come to disturb us. There I can remove your gag and enjoy your screams. You'll love it, I know you want it too, need somebody to dominate you, don't you? Oh don't worry, I have a nice assortment of tools and drugs to help you over the first time. It might be a bit rough at first but you'll soon beg me for more. I'm there for you honey, whenever you need me, for the rest of our lives."

She was running her hands seductively over his bare legs and then slipped them into his boxers with a moan of pleasure. "I'm going to give you a little preview of what's to come…you know…to whet your appetite."

Her hands brushed against his member as she went deeper down toward his groin. Ever so slowly she pulled her hand back out making sure to brush against the shaft once more. With a small laugh she said, "I better control myself before I get carried away. I want our first time to be special, darling."

Face watched helpless as Sue reached back into her bag and pulled out some small tea light candles, a lighter and a small scalpel. "Consider this foreplay for what's to come when we get home. First, let me set the mood," she said igniting the flames. She straddled Face on the bed and began to massage his chest. "I know you've been ill lately. I'm going to perform some exploratory surgery to make sure you're fit for travel."

Face was horrified as Sue picked up the scalpel, brought it to her lips, and licked the blade.

"Don't worry, this surgery isn't invasive," she cooed placing the sharp tip to his belly. "At least for the most part."

Sue traced concentric circles around Face's navel with the scalpel delighting in Face's stomach muscles rippling from the touch. The circles became gradually smaller until the tip was resting inside of the hole. "I'm going to go in…this won't hurt too badly."

Sue pushed the scalpel shallowly in and out of Face's navel at a rhythmic pace. Suddenly she stopped and pressed deeper and deeper until she pierced the skin. Lifting the scalpel out and away from his body she studied the bloody tip before announcing, "Looks good, my love."

Face had wanted to scream as he felt himself being cut, but all he could do was lie there and watch wondering what was to come next. He didn't have to wait long before Sue, still straddled on top of him leaned across his body and started to focus on his nipples.

She took a brown nub in each hand and began to press. At first she squeezed gently, but then she did it harder and harder twisting the skin between her fingers. When she released the tension she bent over and took the right nipple into her mouth sucking and kissing. Before moving to the left side she said sexily, "I'm going to kiss your booboos and make them all better." Again she played with his nipple with her tongue feeling waves of passion engulf her.

She gave him one last nip before sitting up and removing her body from the bed. It wouldn't be long before the drug wore off of Face and then they could set out. "Just one more test before we get ready to go, Templeton." She picked up one of the tea lights and held it right above the scar on Face's thigh.

"Please…don't," Face was at last able to moan, but he still found himself unable to control his muscles.

Sue gave him an evil grin. "Oh Templeton…it seems that I did a good job caring for that leg wound back at the motel. It's almost all healed up."

Face's eyes opened wide with recognition. "You…it was…you."

"Oh…so you do remember," Sue squealed with delight. "Time for a little wax treatment." Sue tipped the candle ever so slightly allowing hot liquid wax to drip onto Face's leg.

Face gasped and moaned at the intensity of the wax making contact with his flesh.

Sue dribbled the wax into a heart shape around the scar. "A sign of our love," she sighed. "Oh look, your belly button is still bleeding. Let me stop that for you." She moved the candle upward and tipped it so that that molten wax ever slowly entered his navel.

"Argh…ahhh." He had tried to keep his cries in, but the severity of the pain took him by surprise.

Sue waited for it to start overflowing before blowing out the candle. "I found some areas that will require more extensive surgery, but that can wait until later. For now you lie still and relax while I get you dressed."

Face was able to move his limbs freely again by the time Sue was putting the tie around his neck. The trouble was that she had recuffed his legs to the bed. "Why? Why me?" he asked trying to ignore the fact that her face was only inches away from his own and that he could feel her hot breath on him.

"Oh, Templeton…such a silly question! Because…well…look at you! You are beautiful," Sue finished adjusting the tie and looked him straight in the eye, "and I like beautiful things. I knew the moment I saw your picture that I had to have you and that I loved you."

Face wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but he decided to ask anyway. "What happens if I don't…um…love you back?"

Sue's eyes flashed. "Oh…you will. You'll grow to love me…and until that time your pain will be my pleasure." She put a perfectly manicured hand around his throat and hissed, "And then if you still try to deny our love, I'll not only hurt you…I'll go after everybody else you care about."

The ringing of a phone startled them both. "Damn," Sue cursed.

She had already checked in with Hank when she was supposed to. "Who the hell could that be?" If somebody didn't answer, however, it would be a clue that something was wrong. "I'm going to put the phone up to your ear. Whoever it is, get rid of them…and be smart about it." With that she put a gun up to his left temple while picking up the receiver with her other hand.

'Hello," he said calmly.

"Hey, kid. Just calling to see how you're doing."

"I'm a friend of Hank and Ella. I'm watching their house for them while they're out of town."

"Face?"

"They're visiting Ella's sick sister."

"Are you in trouble?"

"Yes, yes I am," Face answered happily.

"How many of them?"

"They should be back one week from tomorrow."

"Are you hurt, kid?"

"Not yet, but she talks about it all the time."

"Hang tight…we're coming back now."

"I hope to meet you one day soon. I'll give them the message. Bye."

Sue hung up the phone. "Very good, baby. Who was that?"

"Just a friend of Earl's. He won't be any trouble...he's old and doesn't get around very well from what the Holmes' have told me."

Sue nodded satisfied. "Templeton, It's time to show you where you and I will spend the rest of our lives together. Let's go."

"We have a problem," Hannibal said. "Face is in trouble."

"What you talking about, man?"

"Is he sick again?" Murdock asked.

Hannibal shook his head. "Worse. Get in the truck, I'll fill you in on the way."

"Hank, Face needs us, call us on the radio if you have news, see if you can get an update from Sue."


	21. Chapter 21

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 21

"Uhm…I can't."

"What is it honey?"

"I can't go with you."

"I don't think I'll leave you much choice."

Face knew he needed to stall for time. The team would be here soon. Bad Rock wasn't that big and they were just out of town. Even if they were not too close to the truck it would take them maximum ten minutes to get here.

"You know, I'm the romantic type. You haven't told me anything about you yet. You're going straight for the foreplay."

Even as he was talking she shackled his hands in front of him. "We'll get to that darling. You'll get to know me very well." By now his legs were free. "Get up honey."

"But…but I have to pack, I need my clothes and toiletries."

"I bought everything you need, hon."

"I need my meds."

"I'm your doctor now and I determine the meds you take, now move honey, we have a long journey ahead of us and I can't wait to get you back in bed." She pulled at his shackled arms and he moved up off the bed and towards the door. As she picked up her bag he decided to try and run. He made only three steps before his legs buckled and he fell to his knees.

Face heard her chuckle behind him. "That's not a good boy, is it? Why would you run away darling? Or are you just as eager as me to get to our new home? Ah yes, that would be it. You better move down the stairs slowly, the drug is still in your system and prevents fast moves."

Damn. He had no choice than to move downstairs and to the car since she held her gun trained at him. "One more attempt to get away and I'll shoot the Holmes'."

That did the trick, Face got into the back of her patrol car without further resistance. Once seated he felt another prick of a needle. She had injected him with something right through his pants. "That's just to make sure you won't try anything stupid on the way. Relax, it's going to take about three hours to get home."

Just moments after they had rounded the next corner the Holmes' truck came to a screeching stop in front of the house. Three men jumped from the car and ran straight for Face's room.

"Hannibal, he's gone. The clothes he was wearing are laying there and the brace…his meds are here too. Look over there, an empty syringe." Murdock was distraught.

"Let's check the house."

It wasn't long until BA called, "Over here, basement."

Murdock and Hannibal came flying down the stairs as BA removed the gags from James and Ella.

"She's after Templeton, you've got to warn him. She wants to hurt him."

"Ella, Ella calm down. Who?"

"Sue, Sue Monroe. She tied us up and said she wants to hurt Templeton."

"Did you hear a car leave?"

"No, oh god, did she take him?"

"We don't know that yet."

"Oh no, oh my god…no."

Face could not move his limbs again. As a result he could not also brace himself when the car took a turn or the ride got bumpy. They moved through forest mostly and Face knew he was on his own. No way would his team ever find him there. Very slowly he could move his limbs again but they felt like made of lead. By the time the car stopped in front of a small hut his head, neck and back ached fiercely.

Sue led him into the hut. It had a big bed with chains molded to the legs and the ceiling. One wall had rings and chains hanging from it. Left of the bed was a big table and two chairs. Face noticed with horror that they too had rings welded to it in several places. The other wall was covered with cupboards and cooking items. There was no bathroom.

Face found it hard to walk. His legs were weak and kept buckling under him. The drug was still in his system. Sue half led and half dragged him to the big bed and soon had him shackled to it.

"Just rest, darling, while I get us settled." Sue undid the top buttons of her uniform and then opened a door he had missed before and disappeared behind it. "And then I'll slip into something a little more comfortable."

Face had been afraid many times in his life, but never before had he been afraid of a woman. 'Not afraid…terrified,' he thought.

He was also completely trapped, isolated and alone with a woman in the middle of nowhere. Ironically, under normal circumstances that would have been a dream come true. But there was nothing normal about Sue; all signs pointed toward her being psychotic.

As the drug wore off Face became more aware of just how bad off he was. Everywhere he looked there were objects whose sole purpose seemed to be torture. The victim? 'Me,' he gulped.

He couldn't tell where exactly she came from as she reopened the same door and came back into the room, but Sue appeared before him clad only in a skimpy black lace negligee. "You like?" she purred approaching him like a panther on the prey. When Face didn't answer she teased, "what's the matter…cat got your tongue? Don't worry…I promise I'll have you screaming within the hour."

Face felt his heart race as Sue slowly began to strip him naked and made good on her word.

Hannibal called Hank and told him as much as they knew and he and Maggie raced right over to the Holmes' residence.

"I…I just can't believe it," Hank said. "She's been setting us up the whole time."

"From what little Face told me, she's working alone."

"What are you thinking, colonel?" B.A. asked.

"Maggie, stay here with Ella and James. Hank, do you know where Sue lives?" Hank nodded and Hannibal continued, "check it out and see if you can find any clues. Murdock, B.A. and I will split up to cover as much ground as we can. We stay in constant radio contact."

"Anything else we can do?" James asked.

Hannibal sighed. "Pray…pray that we find him…and fast."

Face had his eyes screwed tightly shut as Sue collapsed beside him on the bed.

"Wow!" she panted. "It was even better than I had dreamed of."

But for Face it had been a nightmare.

He repeatedly told her no and begged her to stop, but that only seemed to turn her on more. So finally, he had shut his eyes and allowed her to rub him until he was hard and then forced him inside of her.

She moaned louder and louder as she rocked back and forth on top of him until she let out an animalistic scream and called out his name repeatedly as she reached orgasm.

Face doubted he would feel the same way about his name ever again.

Sue rolled onto her side and rested her head on her bent arm. "It's getting late, Templeton, but I have one more surprise for you tonight. I want to give you a little demonstration of my handy work I did here. Did it all by myself darling, just for you and me." She was purring the words as she leaned in close, stroking his still short hair and trying to kiss him but Face turned his head away.

"Ahhh, are you pouting baby? We can't have that. If I want to kiss you I will. You'll soon notice and learn to obey me." She grabbed his head and forced him back around. His neck was on fire. He had not had a chance to go through range of motion training after the brace came off and the moves still hurt like hell. She held him and forced her tongue into his mouth but he clamped his teeth shut. He couldn't prevent her from forcing her way behind his lips but he could sure prevent her from going further. She licked his lips and teeth as far as she could get inside and finally broke the kiss panting for breath.

"Not a good little boy, not at all. I just wanted to demonstrate you my handy work tonight but now I'll have to punish you baby."

She got off the bed and took some kind of remote control from the table. Then she changed something to the chains he was secured with, it was under the bed so he couldn't see what, he only heard the rattling of the chains. When she came up again she held up an additional chain and looped it around one knee before pulling it under the bed to the other side. There she looped it around the other knee and brought the chain together under the bed.

"I can move you to every position I want you in honey. Of course this is only for you to learn. As soon as you follow my every wish you don't need those chains again." She pressed a button and Face felt horror surge through him as his legs were being pulled apart at the knees. She laughed at his expression and released the button. The chains went slack and Face hurried to get his legs back together as far as his shackles allowed it. Then she went to the head of the bed.

"You see, I made the chains looped through rings that can be opened. That way I can move you without uncuffing you. Wouldn't want to risk you falling of the bed, now would we?" She pulled out more length to the chain on his arms from under the bed and hooked it to the ring in the ceiling. Then she opened the rings his shackles were secured to only to press another button. The chains rattled and began to pull tight to the ceiling. First Face's arms were raised and then his upper body. When she called an end to the game Face was hanging upright, his ankles secured to the bottom of the bed and his arms pulled up over his head. Sue got on the bed and moved around him stroking her hands over his bare backside.

"See, the same way I can turn you over, lift your legs, bring your legs up to your head, whatever position I want you in honey. We'll have lots of fun baby." She whispered the last words into his ears while blowing hot breath over his skin. It made him shudder.

"Now I believe I need to punish you for your earlier behavior, but don't worry, I'll lick it better for you once I'm done."

Sue got off the bed and over to her bag. She pulled out a whip and held it up for Face to see. He had wanted to stay quiet but at the sight he started to shake and couldn't help a "Please, no." to escape.

"Oh I know baby and I'm so sorry I have to do it but I need to teach you. We can't have you disobey me." She moved behind him, stroked the whip over his back and along his spine until she reached his bottom and proceeded to whip. The whip came down hard and stung but it was over relatively fast.

"Next time, you'll get more. See this as a kind of introduction honey, and now let me make it better for you." She knelt behind him and started to run her tongue over the welts she had just created. Face could live with the whip but this, no way was he going to allow it quietly.

He bucked forward, away from her. "You're nuts, let me go, stop this."

"Oh, oh honey, you're stubborn are you? I'll see to that, trust me and now hold still. She grabbed his hips and pressed him forward into the chains until he had no space left to move and then continued her ministrations until she was satisfied. Face continued to beg her but it was no use.

After she was done she lowered him back down and made sure to strap him down tight. Face hissed as his abused backside was firmly pressed into the mattress.

"Now your doctor will look you over and then I'll feed you supper and get you ready for bed. You have a long day ahead of you honey, gotta lot to learn." She giggled and moved away from the bed, back to her bag. The giggles made Face shiver, she was truly crazy and he had no means to get out of the chains, they were really tight and well welded.

Sue had put on a nurse uniform and came back over, she sat at the bed beside Face's hip and looked at him. "Now let's see to your little problem here." She stroked her fingers ever so lightly over Face's member. "I thought the A-Team's Faceman would not have problems to erect but you gave a poor performance. I had to rub you for ages and even then you were only half hard. Not that I didn't enjoy it, don't get me wrong, but I can't wait to ride you when you're fully erect and throbbing for me."

"That's not gonna happen you crazy nut. Leave me alone."

"Or what? We'll see Templeton and now hold still for your doctor to see where the problem is."

Face tried to wiggle but he was secured tightly and she only giggled in this tone again, the tone that made him shudder.

Sue picked up his soft member and started to pull and squeeze and turn it to all sides. Then she picked up a pen like object and started to poke the little slit in the head. Face's eyes opened in horror, "Please, put that away, don't do that, please."

"Afraid of the doctor, ahh, you don't have too. Doctors are there to help you honey; they won't hurt you, not more than necessary anyway. Looks all good here honey, I think you just need some meds to help you erect. If that fails we can always use electrical stimulation. Come on, open up wide." She produced a tablet from her bag and held it out in front of Face's mouth.

Face clamped his mouth shut and turned away but this time Sue only smiled at him and pinched his nose closed. Eventually he had to breathe and she forced the tablet into his mouth. Face promptly spit it out again. They repeated the process several times until she got tired of the game, reached into his mouth with the next breath and forced a kind of gag inside that was hollow in the middle. Through it she forced the tablet down his throat. He had not even heard of electrical stimulation but sure didn't want to try it. The thought alone made him feel queasy. It took only minutes for Face to be sick and bring the remains of the tablet out again.

"Ohh, my poor honey, you're still ill. Tomorrow morning I'll go to a pharmacy and get you a different form of drugs, one you don't have to swallow. I'm afraid you have to skip supper today, wouldn't want you to get sick again, honey."

Face couldn't say anything again, he was just panting through the pain in his head and neck and the fear he felt.

Sue rummaged around again and reappeared with a urine bottle. "Just let me help you to ease yourself and then you can sleep."

"No, no, please. Let me just use the bathroom, please."

Sue didn't even mind him, she grabbed him and forced him inside the bottle. "You either do it now or keep it in until morning, I'm not going to help you again tonight."

He hadn't used the bathroom since she had kidnapped him and couldn't pass the opportunity. He had no choice than to go through the humiliating process.

"Good boy, now close your eyes and go to sleep. I'll soon settle beside you and we'll spend our first night together."

"Won't you at least cover me?"

"Not yet honey, I want to drink in your sight a little longer. But if you feel cold I could always lend you some body heat." The shudder that ran through him at the thought was not caused by the cold evening temperature. If she wasn't even going to let him up to use the bathroom he had no chance to escape. Unless he went along with her game and got her to trust him but even if he had wanted to, there was no way he could. Bad memories came up and holding it together was all he could do for now. Besides there was no telling how long it would take to get her to trust him enough to free him completely from his bonds. He felt terrified in a way he had never felt before.

"Found anything BA?"

"No man, the tires left marks but only along the drive, once on the road I can't tell where she came from and where she went. Could be anywhere by now."

"Murdock?"

"Same here, no clue as to where they went or what she wants."

"I didn't also find anything, damn."

The ringing of the phone in the van got them running in hope it was Face. "Colonel? You better come over here." Hanks voice was shaky.

The drive over to her apartment in the next town was silent, everybody was lost in thoughts. When they arrived Hank was at the street waiting for them. He looked pale. Without a word he led them inside and straight to the little shrine she had created. They all gasped in horror. There were countless pictures of Face, one in life size. It was sliced and diced and blood had been painted on it in several places. Beside it was a life size picture of Sue, holding a whip and grinning evilly.

"That…that face…I know her…Hannibal, that's the maid, the maid that changed Face's pants." All eyes turned to B.A. who dark skin seemed to lighten a couple of shades. "I messed up again…shoulda been able to protect him."

"Not your fault, big guy," Murdock said. "You were hurt yourself."

"And now Faceman is gonna get hurt because of it." B.A. took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He could beat himself up later, but right now Face needed their help. "We need to move…we gotta find him."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hannibal asked heading out the door.


	22. Chapter 22

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

_Extra Extra Warning_: Read at your own risk...very graphic!

Chapter 22

Face was surprised when he woke up in the morning that he had actually managed to fall asleep. He kept his eyes shut for a few minutes trying to gauge by sound where Sue was. When he heard nothing he opened his eyes.

"Ahhh," he screamed as Sue was looming over him holding a scalpel. She had traded in her nurse's outfit for a sexy pink version of doctor's scrubs.

"Good morning, Templeton. I hope you slept well."

"As well as I could after being kidnapped by a crazy lady," he said casually, although on the inside he was petrified.

"Tsk, tsk," she teased rubbing her pointer fingers together. "Is that any way to talk about your lover?"

"You mean my rapist," he spat.

"Eh…Semantics." She shrugged her shoulder dismissively. "Templeton, I'm afraid that I must operate. My tests yesterday uncovered a few maladies…especially with your attitude. Let's see if I can cut then out of you, shall we? And since you haven't eaten yet, now is the perfect time for surgery. Let's get you to the O.R. stat."

The operating room turned out to be the long table he saw on the way in. She kept him shackled and held a gun to his back as they moved across the room slowly. Once he was lying flat on his back she said, "Hmm…which position should I cuff you in? Ah…no matter…we'll get to them all sooner or later."

"My vote is for later," Face tried.

"Sorry, but you need medical attention right away."

Sue decided on having him posed in an "x" formation with his arms overhead in a "v" and his legs spread open slightly. "Unfortunately, I can't give you anything for the pain. I'll start with the pre-op preparations."

Sue was seated beside a small metal table holding a row of various medical instruments. She picked up a razor and began shaving Face's chest. Working her way slowly down, she ran the blade across Face's abdominal muscles and kept going south. When she was right above his groin she pulled the blade away and smiled. "The rest can stay."

Face was breathing in though his nose and out through his mouth trying to maintain his composure. It was becoming clear that Sue got off on making him suffer and the more he let it show the more excited she would get.

Sue used her chair to give a boost to once again straddle Face. She sat down right onto Face's crotch and wiggled her hips trying to get a rise out of him…literally. "I better palpitate your flesh to decide how much skin I need to excise."

She started at his neck and began to press and kept squeezing until Face began gasping and his vision began to blur.

"Your neck is fine," she announced as he struggled to get enough air into his lungs and then released the pressure slowly.

Sue stroked his chest every so often saying "hmmm" or "ah-hah" as if discovering something of importance. She picked up her scalpel and grinned maniacally. "Now for the moment I have been waiting for…to make you bleed."

Face shut his eyes waiting for the blade to slice through him. But Sue just let the scalpel rest on his breast bone for a few seconds. Face reopened his eyes and Sue said, "I want you to watch. I want to see your beautiful blues react to the pain. If you shut them I'll only make it worse for you."

Face had no choice but to play audience as she pushed the knife in until it almost reached bone. He bit his lip set on not making a sound. But then she painstakingly dragged the tip downward and his hips bucked upward and against Sue who moaned with pleasure at the sensation. The more she cut, the more he reared his hips and the more turned on she became.

When Sue removed the scalpel she ran her fingers up and down the three inch incision feeling the blood between her finger tips. She used that blood as ink and wrote across Face's heaving chest 'Sue and Temp 4-ever'. "Let me get a picture of this for our scrapbook, honey." She snapped a picture with a Polaroid camera and then shook it out waiting for it to develop. "Handsome as always," she grinned.

Face was sweating profusely and shaking, more from fear than from pain. But that was soon to change.

"You seem to be bleeding heavily…I better do something about that before taking you to the recovery room."

Face blanched as she pulled out a small propane torch. He thought he was going to be sick.

Sue wiped up the blood on his sternum and lit the flame. "Time to cauterize the wound."

Despite his effort to not react to whatever she said his eyes grew wide and he could not hold back a "Nooo" which soon turned into an "Argghhh" just before he passed out.

When he woke up next he was alone and still shackled to the table. He had no idea how long he had been out and where the nut had gone to. His head was feeling heavy and he had a pounding headache. 'Probably from dehydration' he thought. A white bandage was covering his wound and left him no chance to take a look, but it felt as if the fire was still on. She had left him in the nude and his body was trembling in the chilly air. He lay like this for what felt like hours before he heard a car outside.

"Oh honey, you're up."

"Oh nutcase, you're back." He couldn't help the sarcastic tone.

"Templeton, watch your mouth, I may have to get the doctor to operate on this attitude of yours again. Anyway, doc said the surgery was a success and you're on the road to recovery. I was out running some errands, unfortunately I couldn't get your meds in a different form but don't you worry, I got you some other stimulants that can be injected. We'll have the little Faceman up and running in no time."She had her hands on him hoping for a response but not getting anything else than an involuntary shudder at her touch. "Brought you a treat too…ah …I won't tell you. Let me pop it in the freezer for a bit."

Sue had been out to complete the next part of her plan. While preparing to kidnap Face she had stashed a car two hours east of Bad Rock in a barn at a busy road close to a forest. The hut she had taken Face too was three hours west of Bad Rock. After Face had passed out she had taken her patrol car, distributed some of his blood over the backseat and open door to make it look like the bleeding person had gotten out of the car and then drove to a forest close to that barn. She left the patrol car there and dribbled some more of Face's blood on the floor outside the car before hiking the short distance to the other car and driving back to her victim.

Now she left Face's side to stow away some things she brought before approaching him again. "I bet you want off this table and back into our cozy bed. Your backside must be on fire after laying on the hard surface for so long. I'll rub the sting away for you honey, just a moment."

Sue went out through that side door again and came back moments later dressed into some leather mini dress. She took the chains and cuffed the far end to the bed before undoing the other end from the table. Although it was highly unlikely for him to run with all the chains on him she didn't take any chances, he was never freed from his bonds that were long enough to reach from the bed to the table, they were only loosened enough to allow him to move. The job she had done with the chain system would probably make the mechanic in BA proud. He had no choice than to comply and move over to the bed while she held a gun trained on him. She fixed him into a position on his side with his legs slightly bent and then slipped into bed behind him.

"Oh honey, you're cold, let me warm you." She pressed her body to his while her hands wandered his front. Face shuddered under her touch but couldn't move while her hands explored his most private areas.

He felt her breath on his back before she whispered, "Now I'm gonna give you your treat baby. Brought you some Tylenol against the pain from surgery." With that she moved off the bed to the fridge which was behind Face's back and out of his line of vision.

'I'm sure not going to take any tablets from her.' But his thoughts stopped short when he felt a finger rubbing some lube to his anus. He gasped in shock and pain as the ice cold suppository was shoved deep inside him.

The team had not slept well at all. After a little search around town they saw that they didn't have a chance and returned to Sue's place. They had gone through the apartment again and again and had not found a single clue as to the whereabouts of Face. Eventually they had retreated to the Holmes' to get some sleep and be ready to help Face when they would get a chance to.

In the morning they had continued their search but without any results. Later in the day Maggie got the lab results from the empty syringe.

"It was a drug that works like a muscle relaxant, only far stronger. The receiver will not be able to move his arms and legs and torso for a limited time while his mind is wide awake. John, this drug is mainly used for torture."

"Oh no."

"You sick, sadistic…" Face began but his breath was taken away as the suppository felt like it was burning a hole inside him until it thankfully dissolved.

"Oh Templeton…I guess I really didn't get it all the last time. That bad attitude of yours is still there. Tell you what…I'll go prep the O.R. for another surgery this afternoon. Until that time just rest, my love. I'll be back with a light breakfast and to cuddle soon."

Sue's cuddling made Face want to throw up his 'light breakfast' which consisted only of some watery broth and stale bread. He lie there still on his side as Sue spooned him and talked nonstop about how much she loved him and about how they were meant to be together until the end of time.

Feeling her hands groping him and her lips on his back and neck was torture as bad as any other that he was actually relieved when she announced, "Time for your next surgery, honey. Don't you worry…I'll be with you every step of the way."

"That would be the part I'm worried about," Face muttered.

Once Face was back on the table Sue decided to position him so he was stretched out as far as possible with his arms straight over his head.

"Comfy, dear?" she asked happily.

"Screw you," Face growled. He was pulled so tight he felt as if his rib cage was going to burst out from his abdomen.

"Now isn't that an appropriate choice of words, honey." She picked up a screwdriver. "But you have it backwards…it's you who is about to be screwed."

Sue stood next to the outstretched figure before her giddy with excitement. "I'll start at your feet and work my way up." She took the tip of the screwdriver and ran it up and down the soles of Face's feet making his toes curl. Every so often she would hold a foot still and dig the tool into his arch causing him to hiss in pain. When she was bored with his feet she traveled up his legs, tickling and pressing.

Sue hopped up on the table straddling Face as she had done before. Wearing a come hither look she took the screwdriver and poked and jabbed lightly at his testicles, all the while keeping her eyes locked on his, thrilling in the fear he so desperately tried to conceal.

"Relax, love," she instructed putting down the screwdriver and picking up a long metal screw with a flat tip. "The operation is about to begin." She placed to end of the screw into Face's navel, picked out the hardened wax from earlier and teased him by wiggling it around in circles inside the hole. "Let the screwing begin."

Sue held the screw straight and reached over and grabbed another screwdriver…this one electric. Setting it for the slowest speed to draw out the torture she started up the motor and laughed evilly as the screw began to disappear inside of Face's belly."

"Argh," Face cried as he felt the metal object slowly impaling him.

Sue put down the screwdriver when only the head of the screw was still visible. "I know my anotomy, Templeton. I'm sure I didn't hit any vital organs. Killing you would take all the fun out of torturing you." She backed up slightly on the table and put her mouth to his stomach. She kissed the areas around his belly delighting in the way his abdomen was quivering from the pain. "All I have to do now is remove the scew and clean you up."

Sue took her teeth, bit down on the screw head and began to pull.

"Please…no…stop," Face pleaded weakly; the pain was intense.

Sue released the screw. "What was that, honey? Don't stop? Okay." She put her tongue onto the screw and pushed it back in.

Face's back arched as Sue repeated the pulling and pressing with her mouth over and over until spots danced before his eyes and he was on the brink of passing out.

Sue slapped him back around lightly on the cheeks. "Oh no you don't, Templeton. I'm not done yet. She went back down for the final time and yanked out the screw all the way. Face grunted at the sensation, and writhed against his bonds as she poured a bottle of anticeptic inside of his assaulted navel and then proceeded to blow on it.

Sue got off the Table and ran her fingers through his hair. "All better, baby. So, now that I screwed you, I think it only fair that you screw me in return." She took a large syringe with a thick needle off of the table and held it in front of his eyes for him to see. "This will ensure that you have no problem performing the task."

Face was horrified when moments later she was leaning over his groin and he realized where she intended on sticking the needle. His only hope was to pass out first, but Sue was going to make sure that wasn't an option. She wanted to see the look on his face and hear his cries of pain.

"Oh honey, I'm so going to enjoy you this afternoon. But first, as your doctor, I have to inform you about the upcoming treatment. This is a form of therapy to ensure you'll have a full erection. It's usually done with a fine thin needle but ahhh…baby, you're such a severe case and we wouldn't want the therapy to fail." She ran her free hand over his member and balls. "See, I know how bad you want to be inside of me and your little Faceman here doesn't even twitch. But don't worry honey, you'll have a throbbing hard on within the quarter of an hour. Now let's get started."

Face was too horrified to say anything. He watched in shock as she took his member in her hand and brought the needle close. "If you respond well we may be able to retreat to the usual method over time, meaning I can then use a smaller needle and stab you only once. But today we need to ensure the success. I've chosen a big needle to make sure enough of the medicine gets inside. I'll penetrate your skin in six places and insert a good amount in each hole."

Face was trembling and sweating in fear and intent to not give her the satisfaction of his screams. But when the needle penetrated his sensitive part he couldn't help but grunt. The liquid that was pressed into him felt like it would split him in two. Then she stopped pressing on the plunger and instead wiggled the needle around.

"Just making sure it gets to all the places."

She repeated the process again and when she reached the third round Face screamed. "Oh honey you're doing so well. I would give you more pain meds but I'm afraid it may counteract with these meds. I have a whole pack in the freezer. When we're done and you still feel pain I can give you some relief." With that said she poked the needle inside of him a bit more and wiggled it and Face screamed again. When she withdrew the needle Face looked down and to his immense horror his body started to respond. He was half hard already and Sue obviously liked it. She put the syringe away and rubbed him until he was fully erect.

"See baby, that's better and we still have three shots left."

"What, no! Why, you got what you want."

"Stamina baby, stamina. I want you to last. After all this kind of therapy shouldn't be done more than twelve times a month, we have to enjoy it while it lasts. She brought the syringe back, grabbed his now hard cock and pressed the needle in for the fourth time. This time Face's scream was animalistic and he passed out only to be brought back around with smelling salts. The same procedure was needed for the fifth injection. When he came back around Sue was straddling his thighs while remaining a strong hold on his erection. She run a finger seductively over the slit in it's head. Face was in a world of pain, between the injections and the throbbing and painful erection he couldn't think straight.

"Last one honey, oh I can't wait to be impaled on you. Let's make the last one special. Make sure you watch." She had put a pillow under his head to allow him a good view. Sue picked up the thick needle and brought it to the slit.

"No, no, please, no, don't do this, please."

She grinned a sadistic grin and inserted the needle in his urethra, just some millimeters deep. Then she pressed the syringe to the side and penetrated him from the inside. Face screamed and screamed but the fire was too intense to make him pass out.

Sue threw the syringe to the ground and hastily pressed herself down on Face. It wasn't just a rape, it was torture, one of the worst kind of torture he ever had to endure. Every touch to his penis sent lightings of pain through him and Sue was riding him mercilessly for hours until she finally collapsed on the bed beside him about two hours later. His erection was still there and very painful even without being touched.

"Oh honey, that was so great. Now let's cuddle, get rid of that hard on. We don't need it again for now."

But Face had long since lost any control over his groin. The pain was so bad and he felt so dirty and used.

Sue loosened his bonds for him to move over to the bed but instead Face curled together and whimpered in pain. He rolled around and proceeded to fall from the table and get caught in the chains.

"Ts, ts, ts, can't even fulfill a simple task. After I had to do all the screwing you want me to carry you over to the bed. Bad boy, very bad. I'll have to punish you. Look at you. You're not satisfied by my performance? Okay, I'll give you another chance. Get on the bed and I'll lick you and drink your sperms before we cuddle honey."

Face was just rolling on the floor in pain and she pressed the button for the chain to pull tight. It pulled him over to the bed and he crawled onto it.

"On your back baby, come on." Again she had to use the chains to get him into the position she wanted him in, on his back with his legs spread wide apart. This position only aggravated him more. And he was barely holding it together when her mouth came down over him. As soon as she touched him he screamed and his eyes rolled back.

When he came back around she liked her lips. "Uhmm honey you taste so good. Sorry you missed your own orgasm. You filled my mouth and I devoured every drop. Now let's get this hard on gone."

Face doubted he could have had an orgasm and still be that hard. But he would never be sure. It made him feel only more used and dirty.

Sue produced another syringe. "No, no, not again, please."

"I'm afraid it's necessary, unless you want me to operate again. But that's not even an option. How would you fulfill your marriage duty with your weenie all sliced and diced. Looks like I gave you a little overdose here. But don't worry, you'll soon be soft again." She picked up the needle and jabbed it into the base of his cock. Face saw stars but after a little while the pressure on his penis lessened and he sighed in relief.

Sue rummaged around in a cupboard. I'll make us dinner honey, but first I'll give you your punishment. She pressed a button and the chains began to slowly pull him upright.

"I bought this really nice paddle here and never got to use it." Sue held the handle with both hands and took a few practice swings through the air. "It's like batting practice…and you're the ball. And if there's one thing my daddy taught me, it was to keep my eye on the ball."

"Too bad your daddy didn't teach you not to be a psychotic bitch." The minute the words were out of his mouth Face knew he would suffer as a result. But he was reaching the end of his rope and couldn't seem to control his emotions.

"Too bad your daddy…ooops wait…you don't have one, do you?" Gone was her loving tone and instead there was fire in her eyes and venom in her voice. "Enough chatter…let's play ball!"

The way Face was hanging, Sue had a 360 degree view and the ability to hit him from every angle. She started from behind and gave him a few swift licks to the behind. It stung, but wasn't anything Face couldn't handle. But she gradually increased the intensity of her hits until his rear was screaming on fire.

She hummed 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' as she sauntered her way around back around front. Stopping directly in front of Face, she ran her hand up and down the paddle before placing it down on the bed. "We're going to play a game called three strikes and you're out." Sue climbed onto the bed and stood up before his naked body.

"Templeton, tell me that you want me."

"No."

Sue leaned over and picked up the paddle. "Strike one." She rubbed his chest gently with the other hand before cocking her arm back and hitting him firmly.

Face barely grimaced and Sue was getting annoyed. "I said, tell me that you want me."

"No." The response was the same and Face vowed to himself that no matter what she did to him it would remain that way.

"Strike two." Sue pulled back more and hit him even harder. This time a groan escaped his lips.

"Templeton Peck…I know you want me…now tell me."

"No." Face closed his eyes as Sue took the paddle into both arms.

"Strike," she swung with enough force to send Face's body backwards and knock the wind out of him. "Three."

Face hung swaying and trying to get air back into his lungs.

Sue waited for his body to still before tossing the paddle aside and turning her focus to his nipples. Taking them into her hands she said, "Templeton, tell me that you love me."

"No," Face responded forcing himself to wear a blank expression.

Sue squeezed the nipples between her fingers and said, "Strike one. Tell me that you love me."

"No."

Sue squeezed harder and twisted his flesh. "Strike two. Now…tell me you love me."

"No."

"Strike three." Sue stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Face's torso. She took his right nipple into her mouth and began to bite down. She felt Face tremble and bit down even harder until she tasted blood in her mouth. Pulling away she licked her lips and admired her work for a moment before turning her focus to the other side and giving it the same treatment.

Face glanced down at his chest and saw blood dripping down his abdomen, but was relieved to see that although painful, the real damage was minimal.

"That's two batters down…one more to go…and I saved the best for last."

Hannibal and Hank had driven for a couple of hours east of Bad Rock searching for possible places Sue could have taken Face.

"I seem to recall there being an old barn out this way," Hank said. "Let's check it out."

The barn was empty, but they split up outside and decided to search the perimeter. Hannibal spotted the patrol car from a distance, called Hank on the radio and took off running.

It was no surprise that it was empty, but what was a surprise was the blood…and the large amount of it.

By the time Hank reached him Hannibal was visibly shaking. He sank to his knees and said, "My poor boy…what has she done to him?"


	23. Chapter 23

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

_Extra Extra Warning_: Read at your own risk...very graphic!

Chapter 23

Face felt his legs being lifted up higher into the air until he suspended horizontally in the air. He glanced down at Sue rummaging through her bag for something. 'You can do this…one batter to go…stay strong.' But as he saw what she came up with he doubted he would make it.

He really whished his team was around to support him through the madness but there was no way they would ever find him. He was alone. Alone with no team to come to his rescue. This was what he always dreaded the most, being alone and knowing that he was at the mercy of a crazy enemy and that his team had no chance to reach him. He didn't know how long his sanity would hold out but at the rate this was going and seeing what was in stock for him next he doubted it would be too long.

"Hannibal, pull it together, we have a lead now. There are no traces of a car leaving from here and at the rate he was bleeding they can't have gone far. Sorry, I didn't mean…just, he's injured and she wouldn't be strong enough to carry him."

"You're right Hank, let's search this place. BA and Murdock have gone west and the Holmes' are searching around their area. Let's call all of them over here."

Hank got on his radio and instructed the deputy that was functioning as their communication base to inform the others. It would take them some hours to reach the place and by then there would only be about an hour left until the forest got dark. Hannibal and Hank decided to start the search and return to the car every hour to check in with the deputy.

"John, there's one problem with the area I didn't mention earlier on. It's an old mining area, there are mines and tunnels all over the place, some reach deep into the ground and meet up with others. If she has dragged him into one of those it will be difficult to locate them. We can spend weeks without having gone to every possible place."

"We'll find him Hank, and if I have to dig up the whole forest, I'll find my boy." Hannibal had a determination in his voice that made Hank look up. "This nut has taken the wrong kid."

Hannibal saw Hank's look and felt the need to explain. "He's been through so much and his biggest fear is being left alone. If I imagine she's dragged him into one of this tunnels and left him there, injured and weak, with no idea which turn to take or maybe even shackled to something….I just need to find him."

"It's alright, I understand."

A couple of hours later they stood in front of the patrol car empty handed when the rest arrived. They had been searching around but couldn't find a single clue.

"Are you sure they're here? Could have gone to the next road."

"Too far, BA. With somebody bleeding like this they would have left a trail, broken branches, pieces of fabric, anything. Besides it's the only lead we have. Our best bet is the mines and tunnels around here, we checked the surface while waiting for you…the places close here anyway."

"What about we make groups? Hank, Ella and James can search the surface and we take the mines." Murdock didn't want the old couple to be crawling around in mines, especially not in darkness.

"Okay, let's go. Hank, you got torch lights? I don't want for Ella and James to get hurt when it gets dark."

"Yeah, I got some, let's go. We'll keep radio contact."

They searched for hours with no results until Hannibal insisted Hank take the old couple home to get some rest, they could continue in the morning. BA, Murdock and Hannibal kept on looking through mines and tunnels. It was after midnight when Murdock motioned for them to stop.

"I heard rustling from over there." He crept closer and the hope rose in Hannibal. But Murdock returned with bad news, it was just a couple of pigs that had settled in for the night. It broke Hannibal's heart to know Face was out there somewhere either alone or with a crazy woman. They kept searching.

* * *

><p>Face's head and neck ached fiercely from trying to hold it straight and he had no choice but to let it hang back in a hyperextended position.<p>

"Tell me that you're mine."

"No!"

"Strike one," Sue lay directly below Face on the bed holding the cattle prod she had removed from her bag. "Hmm...I'm not going to tell you where or when I'm going to shock you...I'm going to make this inning drag on."

His heart was pounding wildly in anticipation of the pain he knew was coming and wished she would just get it over with. He also knew that this was part of her sick game. She was trying to break him physically as well as mentally. 'It's working,' he thought.

Sue looked up at Face's backside and an evil smile played on her lips. She reached up and made contact with his lower back.

Face screamed at the top of his lungs; his body jerking and twisting against the current.

"Templeton, I demand that you tell me that you're mine."

"No," came the breathless reply.

"Strike two." Sue took the scalpel from the table and teased him by poking him with the tip all across his back and shoulders. But then it began to turn her on, so she started to make superficial cuts. "It's raining blood," she sang. "Hallelujah...it's raining blood."

Face was biting down on his lip to keep quiet as he was being sliced, but there were tears in his eyes.

"Last chance...and if you strike out this time...you will regret it. Now...tell me that you're mine!" she commanded loudly.

"Never! I don't love you...I don't need you...and I'll never be yours," Face yelled with everything he had left.

"Have it your way...Strike three." Sue made Face wait for ten minutes in complete silence before cooing, "time to make you dance, lover."

Face was lost in a world of agony as Sue repeatedly stabbed him with the cattle prod up and down his arms, legs and back. His body was flailing; his wrists and ankles being rubbed raw from the friction. And just when she stopped and he thought she was done, she stood on the bed, grabbed his head, looked him in the eye and snarled, "You will learn to obey."

"Ne...never," Face gasped.

Sue held up the prod and smiled, "We'll just see about that, won't we," before bringing it down inside of his navel and holding it there as he screamed and bucked himself to unconsciousness."

Sue lowered him back down onto the bed. "I think I'll just have to wait for you to come back around before treating your injuries," she said to the unmoving man. "Nurse Sue will kiss it all better...but not before I make it hurt some more."

* * *

><p>Hannibal stumbled and started falling to the ground.<p>

B.A. saw Hannibal falling and reached out to pull him back. "Hey...you okay?" he asked, feeling the older man trembling.

"Fine...gotta keep moving."

"Nah...I think you need to sit a minute and take a breather."

Hannibal pulled out of B.A.'s grasp and said. "No time...Face is out there...and I have to find him." He started swaying on his feet, and reached out for a tree to steady himself.

Murdock saw his friend's stopping and ran over to see what happened. "What's going on?"

"Fool, tell this other fool that he need to rest a minute and get somethin' to eat."

"I agree with the Baracan one, here, colonel."

"Don't you two understand that Face is alone...and...and..."

"And we are going to find him," Murdock finished. "But it won't do Face any good if we collapse from exhaustion."

"C'mon, colonel. Just for a few minutes. Get some food and water in ya, and we'll start right back up again."

Hannibal sighed, knowing they were right. "I'm...I'm just so worried about him."

"So are we...so are we," Murdock soothed putting his arm around their commander and gently pushing him to sit on the ground.

Less than 30 minutes later the team was back up and continuing their frantic search…

* * *

><p>… while Face was just coming around. He ached all over and the sight of Sue before him holding a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some tweezers wasn't helping him feel better.<p>

"You're up love. Let me tend to your injuries. I'll kiss it better for you baby." She cooed. "Let's see to your navel first, shall we? Hmm, looks a little infected here." She straddled him sitting directly on his groin and wiggling herself into position. When she made contact Face could feel she wasn't wearing any panties under her mini skirt. The wet feeling made his stomach turn. She prodded the inside of his navel with the tweezers and poured some of the disinfectant inside. Face pressed himself down and grunted in pain but it was still bearable.

"Ah, ah, ah this won't do. The infection is too deep." She turned the tweezers around and inserted the pointed end into his swollen navel. She wiggled it around a little before pressing it almost all the way inside the wound the screw had left. Face screamed and his hips bucked upwards causing her to moan in pleasure at the friction. "Oh yeah baby, more, do that again." She twisted the tweezers in her fingers and Face involuntarily repeated the action. His throat was raw from screaming and his whole belly was on fire. Sue carefully withdrew the tool and proceeded to poor rubbing alcohol over the wound. Face couldn't help but buck up again. She finished her ministrations by flicking her tongue inside his navel and then sucking and licking at it. Face just knew that she was pushing more bacteria inside than removing.

"Patience honey, patience. I know you want me so bad and I want to ride on your beautiful cock again. Just let me treat your wounds and I'll allow you to have me for the rest of the night.

"Go, fuck…yourself."

"Ahhh honey, was that an invitation?" She ran her hand over his soft member and fondled his balls with the other one. "Now let's turn you over to get this done with and get to the fun part of the evening. She pressed a button and the chains rattled, pulling Face along with no chance than to turn over.

Sue got on the bed again and sat on his thighs running her hands over his buttocks. "Does it hurt honey? You need me to give you some more pain relief?"

"Take your hands off me you crazy bitch."

"My love…so sad…the pain is clouding your judgment. Let me continue with your treatment." She opened every wound with her tweezers and rubbed alcohol inside before licking and sucking at the wounds.

Face tried to not show her how much he hurt but he couldn't hold all the screams inside and tears were running down his face. Just as she reached the last few cuts Face passed out again.

When he woke up he was on his back again. His legs had been pulled apart and up, causing his bottom to hang in the air. "All done Templeton, now let's have some fun, the night is almost over." She started to fondle and rub him and squeeze his balls ever so often, but nothing moved.

"Oh my poor honey, you want me so bad and your little Lieutenant here is sick. Doc Sue will heal him, no worries baby. Unfortunately I can't inject you again just yet. It's a pity, I would have loved to ride you for another four hours. But I have an alternative baby."

Face was too far gone to say anything. He felt his chest tighten and had problems to get enough air in. His belly and back were aching and his head throbbing.

Sue turned to her bag and came up with an electrical device. Then she thought and bent down once more and produced the paddle from her bag.

"Before I use a medical device on you let's try something else. I read some men respond well to a good and thorough paddling. I know it turns me on to paddle you, let's see if it helps for you too."

Sue got into position and started up at a quick pace. His bottom was still sore from the last time and he couldn't hold back some grunts. After a few minutes she stopped.

"Ahh, poor honey, it has done nothing to your weenie. Let's try electric stimulation then. I'll have to prepare you a little my darling." She produced some lube and squeezed it on her finger. Face watched in horror as her other hand was spreading his abused cheeks and he realized just where she intended to push that finger.

"No, no…please."

"Oh honey, It's not gonna hurt, just relax and I'll stretch you a bit." When she was satisfied with her handy work she picked up a long metal object with a wire on it leading to the device he had seen earlier. She pushed it in and turned it on to 'waves'. The item in his rectum started to vibrate. Sue turned the regulator until it read 'thrust' and Face watched in horror as his body responded to the thrusting moves against his prostate.

Sue saluted his erect penis, "Attention!" she teased. "And it's going to stay that way for hours." She slowly lowered herself down onto him and moaned with delight.

Face wasn't sure how long the repeated rapings took, but by the time Sue got off of him it was starting to become light outside. "She leaned over his groin, leaned in real close so her lips were resting against his member and purred, "at ease, lieutenant."

Face was staring straight up at the ceiling and trying hard not to break down into tears in front of Sue; he wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"It's almost time for breakfast, darling. And I'm ravished," she said before licking her lips. "For an appetizer, I think I'll have you. I'll go set the table and will be right back."

Face turned his head to the side and watched as Sue spread a checkered tablecloth over the long table and set one place. His blood pressure rose as he also noticed that she was loading some new tools onto the side table. Without saying a word to Face, she began moving him as she would a puppet with her controls and minutes later he was lying flat on his back on top of the table with the plate between his legs.

"Templeton, have you ever had a muscle biopsy done, dear?" She didn't wait for an answer before picking up what looked like a 10 mm thick needle. "It's simple, really. Or at least I think it is…I've only seen it done on TV, but you have lots and lots of gorgeous muscles I can practice on."

Sue shaved a patch of hair off of his thigh. "First, we'll do your right quadriceps." She picked up a scalpel and made a deep 2 inch wide incision.

"Ah," Face hissed, his muscle tensing from the pain.

"You need to relax, baby. Here comes the really fun part…I get to insert this cannula into the cut and when I press it will actually slice off a section of your muscle."

The pain of having a cold metal instrument shoved into his thigh was bad, but having his muscle ripped into was excruciating. Face gritted his teeth and squeezed his hands into tight fists.

"One down…three to go," Sue gloated while removing the bloody mass from the cannula and placing it onto the metal tray.

Face was dizzy and nauseous by the time Sue had taken the other samples from his left leg and the bicep muscle of each arm. He was panting and sweating profusely as his limbs burned in pain.

"Oh my," Sue said innocently. "Looks like you have sprung a few leaks. After my meal, I'll practice my sewing. After all, that's what a good woman does for her man."

"You're…no…woman," Face moaned. "And…definite…not good."

Sue laughed wildly. "Sticks and stones may break my bones…but now I'm going to eat you. I call this dish, Templeton tartar."

Face watched in absolute repulsion as Sue took his muscle samples from the tray and spread them out onto the plate between his legs. She scooped a portion up with a fork, slowly lifted it up to her lips and took a bite.

Sue licked her lips. "Mmmm," she moaned. "Yummy. Wanna try some?"

"You…you…you're totally insane." His voice was only a whisper.

"It's really delicious, you should try some. Or is it that you don't like it raw? Maybe I can make you some broth. You haven't eaten anything but a little broth and bread in over two days and the physical activities make hungry."

He was more than hungry. While Maggie had kept him on an IV to keep him fed during the time he took the antibiotics he had been off of it for four days now and had eaten and drunk very little during that time. But no matter what, he wasn't going to eat his own flesh or the flesh of another human being. Just how sick must this woman be? The thought of food reminded him of the pounding headache caused by dehydration and the trembling of his body, or rather the fact that they had stopped. While his blood sugar was low he had been trembling but after a while even the trembling stopped. He needed food and water and fast and he needed to stop bleeding.

Sue took her time devouring her appetizer. By the time she finished she had his blood smeared around her mouth like a kid after eating catsup. She used her tongue to clean it off as far as she could reach while running her fingers over the wounds she had just created.

"Now I'll have my main course and then I'll stitch you up. Unfortunately you can't have anything until the procedure is done." She brought her own food over and started eating; occasionally she smeared something on his body and licked it off, moaning in pleasure as she did so. Eventually it was over and she got out her sewing materials.

"The most important thing in sewing someone up is hygiene. The needle has to be real clean." She ran her tongue over the needle to lick it clean. "All done, now let's get stated my dear. I'm afraid this might sting a bit." She made sure it stung more than a bit but Face was determined not to make a sound.

"Such a brave soldier but you don't have to hold back my love, it turns me on to hear you scream."

'That would be the exact reason why I don't do it.' He just held his stare fixed to the ceiling.

She tried to make the whole thing as painful as possible but he didn't waver.

"Now honey, let's see about your breakfast. I have a nice cup of watery broth here. It's warm too, your body is so cold but I just can't cover you, you're too gorgeous. Come on honey, lift your head for me to feed you."

Laying flat and eating didn't go together as far as Face was concerned. He had some pillows under his head to see what Sue did to him earlier on but to raise his head even more and be able to eat was not an option, his neck made sure of that.

"Ah, how thoughtless of me, you never got a chance for physical therapy after your injury." She climbed up on the bed and straddled his chest. Grabbing his head she removed the pillows and put him down flat. Then she took his head in her hands and began to bend his neck in every possible position. Face thought his head was coming lose but he managed to keep his screams back. He could however not help some grunts and moans to escape. When she finished he lay there panting and sweating. It was getting more and more difficult to get enough air in.

"My poor honey, I don't think you're up to eating anymore. I think you skip breakfast and we wait for lunch. Let me get you back to the bed and I'll cuddle you warm." By now she didn't even expect him to move on his own. She just used her chains to pull him to and from between the table and the bed. Once he was settled on his side she spooned in behind and ran her hands all over his body. "You know baby, there's one thing I'm concerned about. We may have to ask the doctor for help. We've been making love for hours and you obviously enjoyed it but you never had an orgasm. Maybe she has a drug to help you ease the pressure, or some other therapy." Face shuddered at the thought and she misinterpreted it as anticipation. "Patience honey, patience. You'll have me again in the evening. For now you need rest."

She stayed like this for some time until she announced it was time for lunch. Face got to drink his cold broth and it even stayed inside although he felt nauseous like something. Then she settled in again.

Although he hated it, the cuddling helped to warmed him some. He lay there thinking of his team and how he missed them. He wasn't sure if he would ever see them again, the hope was slowly vanishing. He thought of how Murdock must have felt before he lost his sanity and how it would be for him. He wished Murdock's dog Billy was there to keep him company. His only company was a sick and crazy bitch and his current course of action was to bore her by not screaming. He hoped that would eventually make her search for a new toy and that she would leave him alone and he could find a way to escape. On the other side, as much as he hated her company it was human company and the thought of her getting bored and not going for a new toy but just abandoning the hut with him inside, chained to a bed until he slowly died all by himself was even more terrifying.

Sue spent the day alternating between cuddles and licking his infected wounds. His soft member and balls hurt from all the rubbing and squeezing and tugging it had to endure. As the evening neared he could tell she was getting more and more aroused.

"Oh honey, you'll have honey for supper." She breathed into his ear. She got off the bed and turned him on his back once more. Then she took a jar of honey from one of the kitchen cabinets and dug her finger inside. She seductively licked it off of her finger before digging back into the jar. This time she reached between her legs and then brought the finger to Face's lips. "Want some appetizer my love?" He tried to turn his head away but a stab of pain went through his neck and he gasped a little. Sue used the opportunity to drive her finger home, swirling it around in his mouth. Then she got on the bed, straddled his head between her thighs and cooed "Now be a good boy and eat up." Before lowering herself down.

* * *

><p>"We'd cover more ground if we split up," Hannibal said to the three men standing before him. "I was hoping we could at least work in pairs for safety reasons, but with the amount of ground we need to cover, it's just not logical."<p>

"I have extra radios in my cruiser," Hank offered. "That way we can all stay connected to each other at the same time."

"Perfect," Hannibal smiled appreciatively. "If anybody so much as thinks they see something out of the ordinary, or even just gets a gut feeling, I want to know about it."

"Yes, sir," Murdock and B.A. answered.

They headed in separate directions but with the same desire….finding Face alive and well.

Murdock wove his way in and out of trees thinking back to all the times Face had been there for him over the last decade. There was one time in particular that he couldn't get out of his mind. It was late August of 77 and the team was on a mission in a jungle in South Africa. Murdock was having a rough go of things as the doctors at the VA started him on new meds that were causing him to have vivid hallucinations. A fact he was desperately trying to keep hidden…from the team and the doctors. If the team found out he was afraid they wouldn't take him on missions and if the doctor's knew they would start him on yet another drug with a possibly worse side effect.

Face was on watch during one of his episodes. Murdock was convinced that he was being shot at by the enemy and that Face was one of them. He snuck up behind Face who turned after hearing a twig snap. He was relieved to see Murdock and unaware that his friend wasn't seeing him in return.

Murdock lunged at Face and tackled him to the ground causing Face to clip his ribcage on a sharp rock.

"Don't move…or I'll kill you," Murdock threatened holding a knife out in front of him.

"Murdock…it's me, buddy. It's Face."

Murdock wavered for a moment as the voice did sound familiar, but it didn't look like his best friend.

Face began speaking to Murdock in a calm tone and bringing him back to reality. "It's okay, Murdock. You're okay," he kept repeating softly until Murdock dropped the knife and his jaw in horror.

"Facey…I'm so sorry…I…it's the drugs."

"S'okay," Face said, holding a hand to his side. "Not your fault." When he pulled his fingers away minutes later, they were covered in blood. Face's eyes drifted shut and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

But what really stuck with Murdock was that the first thing Face asked when he woke up was if Murdock was okay. And Face also saw to it that Hannibal and B.A. never knew what really happened that day…they simply thought Face tripped. He encouraged Murdock to tell the doctors what was happening as soon as he got back to the hospital and it was then that they found the right combination of meds for him.

Face never judged him and was there for him every step of the way. "We're coming, muchacho…just hold on," Murdock said looking up to the sky.

B.A. looked up at the same sky a few miles south from Murdock and prayed, "Lord, help us to find the Faceman."

Face had said to him once years ago: "I'm okay…I'm always okay…I have no other choice."

B.A. remembered it as if it were yesterday. Face was sitting on the curb outside the youth center he was working at about a year after their escape from Fort Brag. A fight had broken out between some of the older boys during a basketball game and Face had gone in between them to break it up. At the time, Face hadn't looked much older than the kids and actually was probably only a few years their senior.

Face was knocked to the ground and held down by a group of the stronger ones. Face struggled to get up as memories of being held down in the camps filled his mind. By the time B.A. broke up the fight and pulled the kids off of Face he was pale and trembling all over.

"You alright, Faceman?" he had asked. But Face didn't stick around to answer.

B.A. tore into the boys and by the time he found Face on the curb he was looking much better.

"I'm okay…I'm always okay…I have no other choice," he said with a reassuring smile.

Whether or not Face was really okay or not B.A. wasn't sure, but he was back the next day to help again and many days after that.

'Just please be okay this time too, Faceman,' B.A. thought. 'Please be okay.'

Hannibal, however, was pretty sure that Face was not okay. In fact, from seeing the blood inside and out of Sue's patrol car, he was just hoping that Face was still alive.

He tried not to let his mind go there, but all he could think about was that Face was hurt and alone. It felt like they were searching for a needle in a haystack and the odds of ever finding him were lessening by the hour.

'But it's not a needle we're trying to find…it's Face.' And no matter what the odds were, Hannibal wasn't about to stop looking…ever.

As Hannibal walked he grew angrier and angrier at himself. Just a couple of days earlier he had been jealous of Face for taking to Ella and James. He had felt left out and was actually starting to resent his lieutenant. And for what? For letting show his desire to have a set of parents he could call his own? For letting two essentially strangers get so close to him?

He should have been happy to see Face's walls come down, even if it was only because he was so sick and injured.

And though Hannibal knew he was being irrational, he was starting to blame Face's abduction on his own selfishness. He felt as if he was being punished for his bad thoughts. 'But Face is paying the bigger price.'

Hannibal's chest felt tight and he didn't know what to do with all the emotions he had bottled up inside. And that's when he let out a gut wrenching scream followed up by a deluge of tears…but still he never stopped moving.


	24. Chapter 24

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

_Extra Extra Warning_: Read at your own risk...very graphic!

Chapter 24

Face thought he heard Hannibal screaming, but the sound was so faint and distant that he knew it wasn't real. It had to be his tortured mind beginning to play tricks on him…almost like a dehydrated man seeing water in the desert.

Before Face could think about it anymore, Sue was lowering her crotch down on top of his face and telling him to eat up. He tried to move his head away but it was no use, she pressed herself on his mouth and nose, cutting off his air supply. Face kept his mouth closed but eventually he needed air. He bucked his hips and tried to grasp the bed with his hands. Sue lifted a little and he quickly drew in air before she lowered herself again.

They repeated the game for a while until she got off to look at him. "You will lick me, is that understood? You'll do exactly as you're told."

Face was feeling nauseous. He had honey and her fluids smeared all over his face but the worst was the scent.

She straddled him again, this time pressing a gun to his temple, exactly on the slowly healing cuts from BA's rings. "Lick or I'll shoot you."

'Just do it then at least this will be over.' He kept his mouth closed.

"You're a brave soldier, not afraid of death, are you? Not your own death anyway. I think I heard one of your teammates outside. Maybe I'll take my gun and check on him. Probably it's crazy, the one you seem to like so much."

'If she heard it too it must be true, they were coming to rescue him, they found him. Of course she wouldn't know the difference of Hannibal screaming or Murdock.'

She rose a little as if to move. Face gasped for breath before rasping out, "No…stay please…I…want…my honey...now." He had to stall for time, keep her distracted and away from his team. She was truly crazy and dangerous, even Hannibal would not be able to foresee her moves.

"That's more like it darling, come on, enjoy me."

He opened his mouth just a fraction and snuck out his tongue for just a few millimeters but as the taste made it to the inside of his mouth he couldn't hold back anymore and was violently sick on her and on himself.

"You…you…disgusting little…ahhh…I don't even know what to call you. How can you betray my love in you like that you worthless piece of dirt." She got off the bed and went out that door again. Face could hear a shower running.

'Now, why don't they come in now? She's not in here, it would be the perfect time. Why didn't they come?'

The only one coming inside was Sue a view minutes later. "You're disgusting, look at you. I want to give you something special and that's the way you react you ungrateful scum. You're going to scream until no sound comes out of you again."

She roughly cleaned him with a rough cloth and then pulled at the chains to lift him off the bed.

"Your precious team is not coming for you. They'll never find you. I led them on a false route. I still listen to the police radio Hank is using and I know for a fact that they're all in a forest a good four hours drive from here." She snarled at him while he was pulled into position.

He was once again hanging straight from the ceiling. Without more words she got on the bed behind him and begun to whip him. She started at his backside but Face didn't scream, he didn't utter a sound. Then she moved up hitting his lower back. A moan escaped him but nothing more. He was broken from the news she had just delivered, the whipping couldn't do much harm to him, all hope to be rescued had vanished.

"Scream damit. You're supposed to scream!" She was getting wild and crazier by the minute. She whipped his entire back from his calves to his shoulders; some blows even landed on his neck and the skin had broken in some places but Face still held the screams inside. His face was wet with tears but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"Scream! Scream you stubborn scum! I was going to give you my love you worthless scum and you betrayed me, nobody does that. Scream!"

She dropped the whip and instead went for a leather strap. Face could feel the blood running down his back and legs but he never let more than a grunt escape until his body had enough and he passed out.

By the time he came around the sun was up. He couldn't tell what time of the day it was but it was at least morning. Sue was in a corner drinking coffee. His body was trembling from cold and it was difficult to breathe, just as if his lungs were filling up.

"You finally decided to wake up, how nice of you. I'll give you one more chance." She had her hands on his member and balls, "Tell me you love me and you want me to ride you all day."

"Never." His back was on fire, he could feel how the sheet stuck to his body from the dry blood.

"Arghhh, okay, you want it the hard way, you'll get it."

She pressed a button and his body was shifted sideways, the wounds on his back and legs opening up again and slicking the sheet beneath him. He was shifted until his lower left arm was half on the bed and half off of it.

Let's see if you can get through this without screaming. She took hold of his arm and he made a fist, flexing his muscles. She pressed down with all her weight and let up again. She repeated the process increasing the pressure slowly. Finally she got on the table and with an evil grin jumped onto the part of his limb that was off of the bed. The bones snapped and Face screamed. He screamed without end as she picked up his lower arm and turned it, grinding the broken bones together until he was reduced to a whimpering mass minutes later.

"That's it honey. And now we'll come to the 'ride you all day' part."

She went for the electric device again and waited until Face had the pain under control to the extent that he could look at her. "Remember this? Last time we used the prostate stimulant but it comes with a variety of tools. Looky here, a nice long and thin device. Let me insert it honey, you'll feel better once I ride you, promised."

She picked up his soft shaft and brought the device close. Face's mind screamed at him that it didn't want to go there, no way did it want to go to that kind of memories. At the first touch of the device his mind decided to close down and retreat to a time when all was well, or at least when before he had been sexually assaulted for the first time.

"What are you doing?"

The childlike voice startled her and she let go off him. "What's this about?"

"Please, where are Ella and James?"

"Stop playing games with me Templeton."

"But…but I'm not…I'm not Templeton…I'm Morrison?"

"Stop it."

"What?"

"You're not playing, are you? You snapped, and you call me nuts. Snap out of it already."

"What…what's going on here, please, I'm scared."

"Snap out of it damit, I don't have any use for a child, not even in the body of a man, that's disgusting."

But Face's mind had boxed itself in good, no way to come out for a long time ahead.

Sue left the room and Face, or rather Morrison, felt so alone.

When she came back she shouted at him to snap out of it but he didn't know what. He was afraid of that woman, even terrified. So terrified that he lost control over his bowels and he had an accident on the bed. She cleaned him up complaining and then turned up with old towels. She used the towels like diapers.

"Oh this is disgusting, you're disgusting. I don't have any use for a child, snap out of it."

He didn't even know what she wanted from him. His arm was hurting like hell, his back needed stitches and he was covered in bruises and cuts. Then it started to come back. There was an accident, yes, James and Ella had told him about an accident.

Face lay there for days begging to be released. He was sensing that she was leaving him; he was a burden to her. She fed him one cup of broth every day, cleaned him almost never and left him shackled while she left the place to wander around or drive into town.

He begged to be released but to no avail.

"Four days, you've been like this for four days. I have no use for you anymore. I'll return you to the owner but I'll watch you. Soon as you snap out of it I'll come for you."

At this point Face wasn't able to follow her words anymore. The pain was making it impossible for him to think straight, he couldn't get enough air in and he was running a high fever from the pneumonia and all the infections.

She used the chains to put him on a gurney and transported him outside to her van. She knew she had to get him back to Bad Rock. If he was found and put in any hospital his finger prints would be taken and then he would be in military custody where she couldn't come back for him. She drove close to Bad Rock, opened the backdoor of the van and threw Face's naked body on the street.

"No…please, please don't leave me here…I'll be good, please." The boy in Face was terrified.

"Don't worry hon, I'll watch you, I'll come back for you, that's a promise." With that she turned, slammed the door shut and sped away.

He watched after the van and felt abandoned all over again. His fevered mind was mixing past events with present. "Please…please come back mommy…don't leave me alone." He was sobbing and reaching out a hand for the slowly vanishing vehicle. But she said she would come back, he had to hold on to that hope. She would be back for him. Face lay his head down on the hard asphalt and promptly passed out.

* * *

><p>Murdock and B.A. drove in James' truck silently. It was approaching a week since Face was missing and, though no one would admit it, they were all losing hope. They were still keeping up their search even though by this point they had covered most of the surrounding areas and it felt as if they were going in circles.<p>

Hannibal and Hank had asked them to check out a clearing in a forest outside of Bad Rock and after an exhausting eight hour exploration they hadn't found a thing.

B.A. glanced out of the corner of his eye from the driver's seat and noticed that Murdock was rocking slightly. "You okay, H.M.?"

Murdock couldn't remember the last time B.A. had called him that and it only made him more emotional. It drove home the seriousness of the situation.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright," B.A. said, his uncharacteristically wavering voice betraying his words.

"What…what if we never see him again?" Murdock whispered.

B.A. focused his attention back on the road. "Don't say that man."

Murdock didn't say anything more; he just went back to rocking.

* * *

><p>Face awoke not knowing where he was, only that he hurt all over. He cracked open his eyelids and saw that he was on the side of the road somewhere. But how had he gotten there? And where was the team?<p>

Face tried to move, but the second he so much as lifted his head he saw stars and the pain was unbearable. So he closed his eyes again hoping to stop the lightshow and quell his rising nausea.

An image popped into his head and his eyes flew back open wide with terror: Sue.

His heart began to pound; his pulse quicken. The last thing he could remember was her breaking his arm. He took a peak at the limb to find it was grossly swollen and discolored. But it was the sight of the rest of his body that made him want to vomit. He was covered in blood and what looked like grossly infected cuts and welts…and that was only on the parts he could see.

Face didn't know where Sue was, but the mere thought of her made him start to shake. He needed to hide before she came back after him.

But then he saw a pair of headlights coming toward him. 'Please, no,' he thought.

* * *

><p>"What the hell," B.A. muttered seeing a large mass down the road a ways. At first he thought it was probably a poor deer that had been struck by another car.<p>

B.A. slowed the truck as they approached but ground to a halt as it became clear they were looking at a naked and severely injured body.

They couldn't see his face, but they didn't need to.

"Face," they gasped at the same time frozen in shock.

The freeze melted quickly and they were out of the truck and at their friend's side.


	25. Chapter 25

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 25

Face didn't recognize the truck that stopped as his vision had started to blur over. But there was no mistaking the two voices he heard a few moments later from above him. The team had found him.

"Face…Faceman can you hear me?" B.A. asked.

"Ungh," Face mumbled.

"Facey, it's going to be alright. We're going to get you some help," Murdock soothed.

"Y…you….f…found…m…me," Face whispered

"We ain't never stopped lookin' for you man. Now you lie real still, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Murdock, stay with the Faceman. I'm gonna go call Hannibal. I don't think we should move him until we know what we dealin' with."

B.A. grabbed the radio out of the truck . "Hannibal, come in, Hannibal."

"What's up, B.A.?" a tired sounding Hannibal answered.

"We found him, colonel. We found the Faceman."

Hannibal almost dropped the radio out of his hands…

* * *

><p>Murdock lightly stroked over Face's cheek with tears in his eyes. "We found you, oh Face, I thought I would never see you again." Then he noticed the trembling under his fingers and snapped out of his trance.<p>

"My god you're cold." He quickly removed his jacket and tucked it around him as close as he dared. Face flinched at very little touch the fabric made.

"I'm going to get you some blankets from the van."

Face's good arm shot out and grabbed the first thing his fingers made contact with which happened to be Murdock's pant leg. "Don't go…don't leave me."

The fear Murdock saw in his eyes made him stop short. He had seen this expression before, in the camps and in the VA…but never in sane people. Had she managed to do what the VC couldn't? Had she broken Face? "I'm not going anywhere buddy, I'm right here."

Murdock stripped out of his T-shirt to cover Face some more. He was naked apart from the makeshift towel diaper that was wet with urine and hanging loosely between his legs and not really covering anything. Murdock wanted to remove it to give him some dignity before Maggie arrived but he didn't dare move him. All he could do was grasp his good hand in his own and use the other one to stroke over short dirty hair while murmuring reassuring words. It broke his heart to feel Face weakly returning the pressure on his hand while knowing that he was hanging on for dear life, he just didn't have more energy left. As Face realized that he was finally free from Sue and safe with his friends it was all his battered mind and body could take. He started to tremble harder as tears were flowing freely from his eyes.

* * *

><p>"What? Where? How is he? Where are you? What does he need?"<p>

"Slow down Hannibal, keep your cool, Face needs you, he's in bad shape. Grab Maggie and her doctor stuff. We're a mile out of Bad Rock on the west…"

Hannibal had hung up and was running before BA could say another word. He had been on the way to Hank's office to plan the activities for the next day and turned the van around to take off towards the Holmes' place with screeching tires.

Maggie was there. She had been searching a certain area of forest with the elderly couple for some hours and they were at the end of their rope, physically as well as mentally. The situation had taken a lot out of them, not knowing what happened to the young man they had come to love was tearing them apart. Ella had just made three cups of tea when the phone rang.

"Hello."

"Ella, get me Maggie, now."

"John?"

"Get your stuff, they found him. I'll be at the Holmes' in 30 seconds."

He hung up without waiting for an answer.

Maggie jumped up and grabbed her bag. She didn't have a lot of supplies there but it was okay for first aid, besides she had stocked up their van with a lot of first aid supplies. "They found him," was all she shouted and that's all it took for the three of them to fly out of the door and jump into the van that just came up the drive.

* * *

><p>BA came back to his two teammates and saw Face shaking and crying. He so wanted to pick him up and hold him close but was afraid to hurt him more. He was a mess; BA couldn't remember to ever have seen him in such a bad shape, even in the camps. He wondered what she had done to reduce this proud man to a crying mass within a week. He had brought some blankets and added them on top of Murdock's clothes. Then he sat down on the road behind Face, decided that his head was the one part of his body that looked the most intact, at least from the outside, and rested one of his hands on the back of Face's head.<p>

They stayed like that for only seconds until they heard the van coming towards them at top speed.

Face saw the headlights and went rigid. The shaking got so bad they were afraid he had a fit or something. "No…no..no more. Please no."

"Face, it's okay, you're safe, we're here with you."

"Don't…don't let her…take…me again. Please."

BA was at a loss but Murdock guessed he was taken to and from his captive place by car. He didn't like the desperate sound of Face's voice. "It's okay Face, that's Hannibal and Maggie."

"Hannibal?"

"Yeah, Hannibal. All will be fine, you'll see."

Before Murdock had finished the sentence Hannibal was kneeling beside Face. "Kid. Oh god, kid."

Maggie was just a second behind and took over command. "BA, get my supplies, Murdock get the stretcher from the van, the rest don't get in my way. Face can you hear me?"

Face was crying harder and hanging on Murdock's hand for dear life. He didn't show signs of awareness.

"Stay put captain, I'll get the stretcher."

"Face, this is important, can you move your head, legs and arms?"

Something that could be interpreted as a tiny nod was all the response she got but she wasn't sure. She peeled the blanket away to feel around the neck and although he flinched at every touch nothing seemed broken there. She carefully peeled away the rest of the blankets and Murdock's clothes to look at the rest of the damage and see if he could be moved. Once Face was exposed she heard a collective gasp from behind her followed by something that suspiciously sounded like BA dropping the bag and catching Ella instead.

Maggie turned her head briefly to see B.A. holding a pale but conscious Ella upright. The sergeant gave her a nod to say that he would take care of her and she turned back to Face. The most obvious injury was the distorted arm and it would probably need surgery to repair. Besides that she suspected he was suffering mainly from blood loss, dehydration and infection from the many untreated wounds.

"Maggie?" Hannibal questioned.

"We can move him…let's get him back to my office right away. Watch his arm…it's in bad shape. I'll go ahead with Ella and James in the truck. I'll drop them off and then set up."

Hannibal nodded gratefully. The last thing Face needed was to feel as if he had to be strong to protect Ella and James.

Maggie covered Face back up so the Holmes' could get closer and say a few words before they left.

"Templeton," Ella said bending over with tears in her eyes. "We'll be back to visit you as soon as the doc patches you up."

James cleared his throat and added, "you're going to be just fine, son. We'll see you real soon."

'I'll never be fine ever again,' he thought. But Face nodded his understanding slightly as he didn't have the energy for much else.

Getting Face onto the stretcher and into the van was painful for everyone involved. The whimpers and soft cries of the battered man were heartbreaking to witness. Perhaps worse were his haunted expression and the way his eyes reflected the horrors he had experienced.

During the slow drive to Maggie's Face would begin to drift off only to jerk awake as Sue's evil face flashed before him. Hannibal and Murdock who rode next to him in the back would talk softly and assure him that he was safe only to have the same thing happen minutes later.

Maggie was waiting for them outside. As B.A. and Murdock were carrying Face inside she pulled Hannibal away and said, "Hank called. He has the rest of his staff out looking for Sue and he's posting guards outside of Ella and James' house and on the roads leading here."

"She'll be back," Hannibal said flatly. "And when she comes, this time we'll be ready for her."

Maggie put her arm around his waist and together they followed the stretcher.

"Take him to my exam room," she directed. Once Face was settled on the table she covered him with a light blanket and said, "I'm going to start an IV to replace some of the fluids you lost. It should help stop the dizziness and nausea and have you feeling better soon."

'I doubt it,' Face thought as he watched her insert a needle into his arm and dig around a bit for a vein. But he hurt so much everywhere else that he barely noticed.

"One of you can stay…I need room to work." There was no question that that person would be Hannibal. Murdock kissed Face on the forehead and B.A. squeezed his good arm before quietly leaving the room.

"Face, I'm going to examine you now…is that okay?"

Face nodded and mumbled, "yeah," but his eyes locked on Hannibal begging him to stay.

"I'll be right here with you, kid. You're safe now." Hannibal felt he had to keep driving home that point.

"While those fluids start working on you, I'll take an x-ray of your arm…stay real still." Normally Face would have made a witty comment about not being able to move even if he tried, but this time he just lay there quietly.

Hannibal stayed by Face's side as Maggie put the x-ray up on her lighted board. "Luckily it's a clean break…so I'm surprised by how bad it looks from the outside."

Face began to shake at the memory of Sue twisting his broken arm. "She…she…liked…to…make me…s…scream," he rasped.

Maggie's breath caught in her throat. "I'm sorry, hon." She didn't know what else to say.

Hannibal rescued her by asking, "Does it need surgery?"

"No…I can do a closed reduction and set it. But it has been broken for at least a few days so it won't be as easy. I'll get to that later, now I want to clean and stitch some of these wounds."

"Can you give him anything for the pain or put him out?"

Maggie bit at her lip as there was nothing she would like more. "Face, were you given any pills or injected with anything?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have any idea what?"

Face started to sweat. "Drug…made me…not move…but…but could feel…could feel…everything."

Maggie frowned. "Anything else?"

"Drugs to…to make…me…um…um…" 'perform' he thought but was too ashamed to say it. "to cool the…fever." Face looked away in shame.

"Tylenol?" Maggie sensed there was more to it but couldn't place it.

"No…something strong…made me…real dizzy." He just couldn't tell her of the other drugs but needed to keep her from putting him out, he needed to be in control.

"An injection?"

"No"

"Tablets then."

"Uhm…no." He even managed to turn a little pink despite the blood loss as he thought about how the suppository had hurt. It was only Tylenol and he was feeling bad for lying to her but it couldn't be helped right now.

'Damn,' Maggie thought 'that leaves only one option, no wonder the kid is ashamed'. "I'm so sorry, Face. But I can't risk anesthesia or anything else in case those unknown drugs are still lingering in your system. Especially considering you reaction to medications."

"S'okay." Whatever Maggie did to him could never be worse than what Sue did to him.

Maggie gathered her supplies while Hannibal stroked Face's hair. "Don't feel you have to hold it in, Face. If it hurts just squeeze my hand and let it out."

"Face, I may have to ask some questions along the way if you're up to it. Just say whatever you're comfortable with. What are these round welts on your thighs and arms?"

"She…she said…muscle…biopsy." Face left out the part about Sue later consuming the muscle; just thinking about it made him feel sick and he began to gag.

"You okay, kid?

It took a few seconds before Face was able to breathe normally and answer, "Yeah…m'okay."

"I'm going to lance and drain these spots," Maggie announced picking up a scalpel. You'll feel me make a small cut and then some pressure as I squeeze out any pus and infectious liquids."

Face gripped Hannibal's hand tightly and grunted as he felt the first cut in his leg.

"Just breathe, kid. Just breathe."

"Now I'm going to probe the incision before inserting a syringe with some disinfectant. This is going to be the worst of it, but it'll be over quickly."

Tears sprang to Face's eyes and he panted through the agony while Hannibal talked to him and encouraged him to breathe and focus on him.

Maggie repeated the process with the other three biopsy sites and by the time she was bandaging up the last one Face was pale and sweating…and unfortunately still conscious. The IV was a mixed blessing in that it had done its job to make him more lucid but it also made him aware of what was happening to him.

"You're doing great, Face," she said. "I'm going to move to your navel now." It was red and puffy and was leaking a greenish-yellow fluid from it. Maggie wasn't going to ask as she was positive the cause was nothing short of awful. She repeated a similar process as she had with the other injuries.

Face felt Maggie insert tweezers deep into his belly and he bucked at the intensity of the pain. "Argh," he cried out.

"I'm sorry…so sorry," Maggie said sadly pushing deeper and opening and closing the instrument to break up any pockets of puss.

"Please…stop…can't…can't…"

Hannibal took Face's good hand inside both of his as Face was too lost in pain to even squeeze anymore. "It's okay…she's almost done…it's okay…yell if you have to."

Face didn't just yell as Maggie disinfected the wound, he screamed. It was followed shortly by a loud groan. "Gonna…be..sick."

Maggie and Hannibal rolled Face onto the side where his good arm was and as he vomited into a bucket she got the first good look at his back.

"Oh dear God," she said in dismay.

Once Face's attack had passed she said, "Face, I'm going to keep you on your side for a bit while I tend to your back."

Maggie made sure to catch Hannibal's eye and mouthed, "It's bad…real bad."

Hannibal sat in front of Face so he could keep eye contact. "Just look at me, kid."

"I'm afraid this is going to take a while. I'll be as gentle as possible." Maggie took a deep breath and picked up her scalpel. "Okay, here we go."

Face was whimpering and gasping for air while Maggie cut into the already cut flesh, removed the infection and restitched the wounds. It took about an hour total and Hannibal was amazed he was still with them. It was a testament to just how much he had suffered previously and how great his pain threshold was.

Maggie was done with his upper back and his legs. What she still needed to tend to was his lower back and buttocks. The infections there were extra nasty because he had been forced to use the diapers and Sue had left him without cleaning for almost all day at times. Maggie started from the lower back down and hoped he would pass out soon but he stayed conscious for four painfully treated cuts before his eyes rolled back and he was out.

"Thank god. Now let me clean and stitch the rest of his wounds. His bottom and groin is one big sore and I'm really happy he doesn't have to live through the pain and humiliation while conscious."

When she was done with his back she turned him to his front to tend to his groin.

"His hair needs to be shaved, there's no way I get it thoroughly cleaned and get to the sores underneath. This will be hard on him, especially if I have to check his wounds while he's conscious. He'll probably deny it but he'll need you to reassure him."

When Maggie was done she rolled him back on his side, spread a small clean sheet under him and started to apply salve to all the sores and rashes on his behind before rolling him back and doing the same procedure to his groin area. When she brought the rest of the sheet up between his legs and covered his groin Hannibal spoke up.

"Do you really think that's necessary? I don't think he needs a diaper."

"John, you really have no idea about baby care, do you? This is not a diaper, it's way too thin to be used as one. I just want him covered in something sterile since some of those sores are weeping plus there's no way he can wear any cloth right now and I think he wouldn't want to lay here all bare, even if he's covered with a light blanket."

"Uhm Maggie…do you think….do you think she…you know…hurt him …uhm…raped him?"

"I can't tell. His rectum is intact. I checked that but if she forced him to have intercourse I can't tell for sure but from the looks of it and my gut feeling I would say no. If she was interested in him in that way why would she allow him to lie in his own excrements for days until he's so sore. I mean, it doesn't really look appetizing, does it?" The sores and rashes covered the injection sites on his penis without problem. They could only be seen if someone looked for it and even then it would be hard.

Maggie never stopped her work while talking. She wanted to finish with everything before Face came around. His wrists and ankles were next. They were so raw and bleeding from the restrains. It was testimony to how he had struggled to get free.

The last thing that needed to be tended to at the moment was his arm and Maggie decided she would need the help of the rest of the team for this in case he came around from the pain. While she got all the supplies ready she kept talking to the team. "We'll have to keep him on his side as much as possible, lying on his back is not an option at all and laying on his front is compromised by the wound at his navel. I would say side and front have to alternate. But it won't do anything to ease his breathing. My final decision will have to wait until after a chest x-ray. I can't guess how bad the pneumonia is without it but from the sound of it it's pretty bad. That means he has to be back on antibiotics as soon as he's a little stronger. Okay, I'm all set here. Hold him and I can set the arm."

B.A. held Face's legs while Murdock stood behind him to keep him from rolling backwards. Hannibal stayed where he was, holding Face's good hand and positioned in front.

Maggie took hold of the swollen arm and began to palpitate the limb to see where she needed to focus her attention.

"Ungh," Face moaned weakly at her touch.

Maggie wanted to move as quickly as possible, so she began to push and pull forcefully.

Face woke with a start and screamed in pain, "No…stop…Sue…no more!"

The team held on tight as Hannibal tried to reassure Face. "Face…kid…it's okay. Maggie is fixing your arm…you're safe…just hold on."

Maggie yanked one more time and felt the bones snap into place.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Face bucked and kicked.

"All done," Maggie announced.

"You hear that, Face?" Hannibal said softly. "Maggie's done…it's all over."

Face was shaking and still struggling as his arm throbbed fiercely. They held him still as Maggie took a second x-ray and then splinted the arm to keep it immobilized.

Face was out of his mind with the pain and started to babble as if he were still being held captive. He let out all of the things he had tried to keep hidden from Sue so as not to give her the satisfaction.

"No…don't cut me…please. Hurts…can't breathe…stop…no! Don't touch me there…stop it. Don't whip me…ow! Not the cattle prod…nooooo! Guys…where are you? Help me…please!"

Face's body gradually calmed and his words began to trickle off and dissolve into sobs. "So scared. Was so alone. Thought I would…never…see you…again. I was going…to die…alone. Hurt me…so…so bad."

Maggie quietly left the room sensing that the men before her needed some time to begin to heal. She stayed just outside the door in case they needed her.

"Oh kid, I'm so sorry, we looked everywhere but only found the empty patrol car. It's going to be alright now. We won't let her come close to you again."

"Deep…deep in…forest…west."

"Damn, she put us on a wrong trail."

"Too far…couldn't…find me."

"I'm just glad we have you back."

"You ain't the only one colonel."

"No that's right muchacho. I almost went insane with fear."

For once BA didn't comment on that.

Face curled together more as a wave of pain hit him.

"What's it buddy?"

"Belly…ahhh…screwed me."

"What? This terrible… ah, I don't even have words for her." Hannibal felt his anger rise, he had not thought it would be possible to rise more than it was but it did. She had raped him. They had spent so many years working on the nightmares after the camps and now she had done it to him again.

"Sorry buddy, where does it hurt? Want me to get Maggie?"

"No…navel…screwed…put a screw…long on…inside…electric…screwdriver…thought…gonna die." The words were a mere whisper, he had no energy left. But even those whispered words made all air rush out of Hannibal. He was relieved and at the same time horrified. How terrible must have been the pain of such torture, but at least she hadn't tortured him sexually, hadn't raped him.

Face was whimpering in pain now. It was all he could do. He hurt all over but had no energy to move or even scream, just to whimper.

Maggie entered the room a short while later. "Face, I need you to lie on your back once more. I need to take the chest x-ray to see how bad your lungs are and then we can settle you in a proper bed and you can sleep. It's getting close to midnight already."

Face didn't have the energy to move so Hannibal and Murdock got him into position. They tried to be as gentle as possible but it was still a painful process for Face. As soon as the picture was taken they turned him on his side again, got him on a stretcher in that position and took him to a bed. He would dose off and the first thing he saw was Sue's face grinning evilly at him. He would jerk awake from that. It was a cycle that lasted for about three hours before Murdock carefully crawled on the bed behind him and got as close as possible without disturbing Face's injuries. Hannibal and BA sat down on the bed in front of Face. The scent of his team made him feel protected even if he couldn't manage to keep his eyes open for long enough to see them. He knew they wouldn't allow her to hurt him. Finally exhaustion won and he drifted into a fitful sleep.

When he opened his eyes in the morning he looked around at his teammates but was obviously missing someone. He tried to say something but only a croak came out.

Hannibal placed some ice chips in his mouth and after a while he tried again. "Where….where's my ….my family…the one that came for me."

The three looked at him not sure what he was talking off.

"Doc Smith…where are Mr. and Mrs. Holmes?" And in a small voice he added "Don't they want me again?"

"No Morrison, no, they'll be here soon."

"But…but if they still…still want me, why ….why was I with the other woman? I don't understand."

Hannibal sat down carefully beside Face on the bed. "Morrison…that lady took you away from the Holmes' without their approval. She kidnapped you and we were all terribly worried."

"She…she was…real mean. Scared me. I thought…I thought …" Tears welled up in his eyes and he couldn't go on.

"You thought Ella and James abandoned you…that we all did," Murdock finished.

Face nodded sadly as the tears began to fall.

"We didn't do nothin' but search for you, kid," B.A. added. "We just sorry it took so long to find ya."

"Mr. and Mrs. Holmes…are they mad at me?"

"Why would they be mad?" Hannibal asked. "It wasn't your fault she stole you away."

Face's throat was so dry that when he tried to speak next no words would come out. He cleared his throat which led to a painful coughing fit that pulled on his belly and back wounds.

When the coughing subsided, Hannibal gave him some more ice chips and said, "You need to rest Morrison so you can get better. Nobody is angry with you…just worried. Now close your eyes."

Face was too exhausted to argue, but he reached out his good hand and grasped onto Hannibal's leg.

"Don't worry…we're not going anywhere. You will never be left alone again, kid, and that's a promise."

Once Face was back asleep, Hannibal turned to Murdock and B.A. "I want one of us in this room with Face at all times and one of us outside on watch."

Murdock took off his cap and fiddled with it in his hands. "What about Ella and James…should we get them?"

Hannibal shook his head. "I think they're safer where they are. That lunatic isn't after them or she would have hurt them already."

"Yeah, man, she only after Face."

"Which means that whoever is near him is at risk if they try to stop her." Hannibal paused, his blue eyes narrowing. "And we will stop her."

Murdock put his cap back on his head, this time backwards. "What if Face wakes up again as Morrison and asks for them?"

"Hopefully he will be Face more often than not and Face would tell us to do the same thing. But if he is Morrison, we make up an excuse and allow him to at least talk to them on the phone. Now, as for Maggie…"

"What about me?" Maggie asked entering the room.

"It's not safe for you here either."

"John Smith, I am not leaving my own practice especially when I have a patient as sick and injured as Face is."

"But…" Hannibal started only to be silenced by a stern look Maggie sent his way. "Fine…but at the first sign of trouble I want you out of here."

"I'm a big girl and can take care of myself, colonel," Maggie said, but this time with a smile.

Hannibal smiled back. "Of that I have no doubt."

"Get a room already," B.A. mumbled under his breath to Murdock, who giggled like a school boy.

Hannibal rolled his eyes. "As I was saying, I have no doubt you can take care of yourself, Mags, but this isn't just some run of the mill bad guy. It a psychotic lunatic who had proven herself capable of," he pointed at Face, "this."

"Point taken…but I'm still staying."

The conversation came to a grinding halt as Face let out a wild scream and tried to curl into himself. His eyes opened and scanned the room frantically.

"What is it?" Maggie asked.

"My…my stomach. Please…help…help me."

"Let me look, Face…it is Face, right?"

"Yeah," Face said while gritting his teeth.

Maggie pulled down the blanket and exposed a puss filled navel that was leaking a thick and cloudy discharge. She carefully put her hand to the surrounding skin only to find that it was hot and rigid. She felt around a little more but stopped as Face let out another scream.

"Damn, it's deeply infected. I thought I got it all out when I cleaned it but it's really deep, just what did this nut do to you?"

Face was beyond answering. He didn't even hear her talking. The pain blocked all his senses, all he was capable off was feeling the pain, he was at the edge of passing out.

"She screwed a screw into him; he said a long screw using an electric screwdriver." Hannibal just now noticed that Maggie wasn't around to get this piece of information."

Maggie looked up from Face's navel, the horror present in her eyes. "That sadistic piece of scum, how can someone do that to another human being?"

Face let out a moan and lost his battle with consciousness.

"You doctors put screws into people all the time."

"Fool, they put them in broken bones, not in ones belly."

"Well, Sue isn't a doctor."

"No Murdock, she's not, but she sure has some equipment and likes to play with it. I need an ultra sound machine to make sure the infection hasn't spread into his belly. The way he was screaming it's possible, depends on how long that screw was and how deep it went. I just hope it hasn't injured any organs but it doesn't appear so. Murdock, can you go back to the rental place you picked the x-ray machine from? I'll give you all the documents they need from me."

"Sure thing ,Mags. You got it, I'll fly like the wind."

"Better keep my van on the ground fool."

Murdock put his hand over his heart in mocked shock. "Oh BA, how can you worry about your van when your teammate is in need of medical supplies."

"You know I don't."

"Knock it off you two, Face needs quiet. Murdock get moving." Hannibal wasn't in the mood for their banter.

Maggie handed over her doctor's license and some forms and Murdock was on his way. The others sat around Face's sleeping figure waiting. After a while Maggie broke the silence. "I've been wondering how Face got to that road side. It doesn't look like he made it there on his own."

"Maybe she got tired of him?"

"No BA, I doubt that. Face was and still is very afraid of her returning. Maybe he escaped or she had somebody helping her that developed a conscience and freed him."

Maggie got up and paced the room. "All his wounds were some days old, apart from the sores on his groin and behind. For some reason she stopped torturing him days back."

Face moaned and started to shift uncomfortably.

"Looks like we can ask him soon."

Face was in pain, he tried to curl up but that only pulled at the wounds on his back. He was out of his mind with pain and couldn't find a comfortable spot to lay on.

Maggie decided on a frontal assault. "Face, what do you remember about getting to the road side before Murdock and BA found you."

"Nothing."

"What's the last thing you do remember?"

"Her…her…breaking my ….my arm and….and…twisting it."

"I'm gonna twist her neck," B.A. grumbled.

Face's eyes filled with fear. "What…she's here?"

"No…no, Faceman," B.A. quickly corrected. "I'm sorry…didn't mean to upset you."

"I…I'm…such a…mess," Face moaned. "Scared of…of…everything."

Hannibal patted his leg paternally. "You have every right to be scared, kid. Hell, we were all terrified and that was when we didn't know just how bad she was treating you."

'And you still don't,' Face thought. "Why…stomach hurts…so much?" Face gasped out.

"Murdock should be back soon with an ultrasound machine so I can find out, Face. Just hang in there a little longer."

"I…I'll try."

"Squeeze my hand, kid," Hannibal offered. "And try to take some slow breaths."

Face listened to his colonel's advice, but moments later let out a grunt followed by a series of low groans.

"Maggie, isn't there somthin' you can do?" B.A. asked.

"A large part of the pain is probably the result of pressure building up as pus accumulates. I can drain it now to alleviate some of the discomfort."

"Do…do…it," Face begged.

"Are you sure, Face? The procedure itself will be painful."

Face answered by groaning as another wave of pain hit him.

They rolled Face onto his back and Maggie explained the process. "I'll clean the area first. I'll then make a small cut into the center of the navel. At that point we'll roll you back onto your side and allow the wound to drain. I'll apply slight pressure to aid in this process. I'm not going deep here; I just want to help you manage the pain."

Face tensed as Maggie cleaned his stomach off with an antiseptic soaked cloth. He watched as the doctor put blade to belly and made a quick cut.

"Ah," he cried.

There was an audible hissing sound as the yellow-green fluid began to drain and a rancid odor filled the air. Maggie had never seen or smelled anything like it before. After they moved him back to his side, she pressed very lightly on the areas surrounding the infection and was amazed by just how much continued to come out.

"Oh God," Face panted trying to jerk away from her touch. But B.A. and Hannibal held him still until Maggie was done.

It took some time before the pain of the drainage died down enough for Face to start breathing normally again.

"How're you feeling, kid?"

A small smile came to Face's lips as he realized it wasn't as bad as before. "Better…thanks."

All that was about to change about an hour later when Murdock came through the doors with the ultrasound machine.

While Maggie and BA set it up the phone rang and Hannibal picked it. It was Ella and James.

"Hello Hannibal, I know you said you would call us but we just couldn't wait any longer. How's Templeton doing, please tell us he'll be alright."

"Oh, sorry Ella, I should have called you some time back but I didn't want to disturb you in the night and he kept us busy this morning. Let me see if the cord is long enough to get the phone to his bed then you can talk to him, will be a good distraction for him."

While Hannibal unwrapped the cable from some pieces of furniture where it had gotten caught in his first attempt to bring it over he spoke to Face, not sure how much he had heard from the conversation. He was pretty out of it even though the pain had lessened some. "Face, you have a call."

"Huh?"

"Ella and James are asking for you. They've been worried sick. Talk to them, kid."

He sat at the edge of the bed holding the receiver to Face's ear. "Hello?"

"Templeton my dear, how do you feel child."

Face's eyes brightened at the sound of her voice. "I'm alright. Thanks."

"You sure don't sound the part, and you looked terrible yesterday. But at least you're up to talking now. We've been so worried about you my dear."

"I…I…I don't know what to say. Thanks. I…I'll be fine."

"Templeton?"

"James?"

"Oh son we've so been worried about you. Take good care of yourself and rest, you hear me."

"Y…yes sir. Thanks." Face was overwhelmed. They knew him for such a short time but cared for him.

Maggie took the phone from Hannibal.

"Sorry I have to interrupt you. I have to tend to my patient. He's doing well considerably but his belly hurts and we're about to find out why. We'll call you later. Bye."

"Okay Face, we're all set. Guys, you know your job."

She placed the ultrasound device on his belly and moved it around with light pressure. She started from the sides and worked her way toward the navel. The closer she got the more puss leaked out. When she hit a particularly tender spot Face screamed in pain and a larger amount of puss mixed with blood leaked out.

* * *

><p>'Those long distance listening devices really come in handy. It's a shame I can't go back to pick up more stuff from the techniques department. It was really useful to be with the police.' Thought Sue who was sitting in a tree about 300 meters into the woods behind Maggie's house. She couldn't see what was going on but she could hear them well. If the window to the room was open she could catch every whimper and if it was closed she could still understand every word that was said in a normal voice. She could not hear what was spoken outside the room to the front of the house but she wasn't bothered. All she wanted to hear was how Templeton suffered. The fear he had lived through in her captivity turned her on.<p>

After dropping him on the street she had drove off but stashed the van after a short distance and circled back to him and hid in the woods. There she had made use of the listening device for the first time. At first she was angry that he responded as Face to his friends and thought he had played the kid for the past four days but she soon noticed that it wasn't an act but his friends had a great influence on him. She devoured his fear of her coming back. 'I'll sure be back honey,' was the last thing she thought when they drove off with her lover and she packed up and relocated to her current position.

Now she was waiting for him to mend enough to continue the game they started. She heard what he told them in his fevered dreams. 'Ah, baby, you never mentioned our love live, how noble of you. Don't worry, I'll soon give you more to talk about. She would go for him as soon as possible, after all she had given up her career to be with the love of her live. Ever since she saw his picture on the wanted poster in police school two years ago she knew she needed to have him for herself. She had started building the devices in the hut and had followed all the A-Team sightings over the last two years. She would never have dreamed that the perfect opportunity would present itself so soon. He still denied their love but she was certain that would change soon, after all she was going to give him all her attention. He just had to see how good she was for him.

Sue moaned in pleasure as she heard him scream in the bedroom. She closed her eyes and pictured him naked and in bonds, screaming for just her.


	26. Chapter 26

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 26

Face was dizzy from the pain as Maggie held the wand on top of the source of agony and wiggled it around.

"I'm sorry, Face. I need to get a clearer view of this."

"Ugh," he grunted and began to squirm, but didn't get far as six hands held him down.

"It appears that there are some kind of foreign objects under your umbilicus…I count five particles." Maggie removed the wand and put the machine aside. "Why it hurts so badly is that a sac has formed around those particles…also known as an abscess."

The team was so engrossed in what Maggie was saying that they didn't notice him turning green until he squeaked out, "Feel…sick." They rolled him just in time, but the repeat motion of vomiting was agonizing on his stomach and left him curled in a ball.

"What's next, Maggie?" Hannibal asked wiping Face's damp forehead with a cool cloth.

"I need to go in remove the objects and drain the abscess." She furrowed her brow in thought before asking, "Face, was anything put inside of your navel?" She wanted to have some idea of what she was dealing with.

Face was breathing hard as he answered, "cattle…prod." All eyes in the room opened wide at the very idea, until he spoke again. "Wax…dripped hot…wax…after playing…inside…with…a knife."

"Oh, man," B.A. and Murdock shuddered simultaneously.

"My guess is that some of the wax travelled into your belly and caused the infection."

Hannibal saw Face shaking in fear of what was to come or memories of what Sue did to him, but probably a combination of both. "Do you have to cut him?"

Maggie nodded. "The abscess is down deep. I can't go through the umbilicus itself because it's in bad shape already. I'll make an incision about an inch below."

"Pain relief?" Hannibal questioned afraid he already knew the answer.

"Still too risky."

"Please…I'll be okay…just …just do it…make pain…stop."

* * *

><p>"So nice to hear you beg, my sweet," Sue smiled.<p>

She climbed down the tree and spread a blanket out onto the ground in preparation of what was to come.

"It's nice to hear you beg…but even better to hear you scream."

* * *

><p>"Is this absolutely necessary?" Murdock asked as Maggie pulled a strap tightly across Face's hips and another right under his chest. His broken arm was immobilized by his side already.<p>

"I need Face to stay as still as possible and without anesthesia…," she trailed off as the rest of the statement didn't have to be spoken.

"S'alright, guys. I…I…know where…am. I…know I'm…safe." Face was sure they were worried that being tied down would remind him of the camps…and it did. But having the team by his side was enough to get him through.

Maggie sat on a stool next to Face so she could look him in the eye. "The guys will hold your arm and legs just in case, but think of it more as them helping to support you. I'll tell you everything I'm going to do so there are no surprises…or would you rather I not?"

"No…please tell…me. Not knowing…worse…much worse."

Maggie smiled and stood. "Okay…let's go."

* * *

><p>Sue lay on her back and spread open her legs. She placed a hand on her vagina and waited.<p>

Listening to Doctor Sullivan announce what she was going to do to Face was like getting the play by play and her excitement was rising.

'I'll tell you to take a deep breath and release it. On the next deep breath I'll get in position. When I tell you to exhale, do so forcefully and that's when I'll make the cut.'

Sue began to rub herself gently.

'Here we go…take a deep breath…release it. Take another breath…hold it…exhale forcefully."

'Ahhhhh!'

The sound of Face's scream made Sue moan with pleasure. "More," she sighed. "More."

* * *

><p>"I'm going to probe inside the incision to locate the abscess." Maggie inserted her hand inside a couple of inches until she felt a mass.<p>

"Ah…argh…ah," Face gasped as tears filled his eyes.

Hannibal held his hand tightly while Murdock and B.A. each took a leg. They could feel the trembles as he fought against them in desperation to avoid the searing agony.

"I found it," Maggie announced in relief. "I'm going to lance and drain the sac and hopefully the particles will come out with the pus and fluid." Maggie inserted the scalpel and Face let out an animalistic grunt as his head tossed from side to side.

The rest of the team held him down, feeling helpless and praying that the pain would take him. But as seemed to be the case lately, Face would remain awake and all too aware of the entire surgery.

* * *

><p>Sue was praying for the opposite; the last thing she wanted was for Face to pass out.<p>

To her great delight, the doctor seemed to be having a difficult time with the abscess and it allowed her to take her time pleasuring herself.

Sue's hips were thrusting in rhythm to Face's continuous whimpers. She could feel the pressure building up in her. She was close to climax, so close, her fingers going deep inside her vagina imagining it to be Templeton, her Templeton who had finally admitted his love for her and was pleasuring her. And then he screamed again.

* * *

><p>"Owww…stop. Please stop…please hurts. Ella, James…please help me…please…I'll be good."<p>

"Fa…Morrison, it's alright, you'll feel better soon. The doctor needs to finish this surgery to make you feel better. Just a little longer. Ella and James will be here soon, They are waiting for the surgery to be over." Now of all times he had to convert into his kid self. Hannibal was trying to distract him with talking but it didn't work.

"Arghhh…ahhh…stop…please." Face's head was thrashing wildly, the pain in his belly so intense that he didn't even feel the pain in his neck. He was sure to feel it later.

Maggie had to stop for a moment to clear the tears from her eyes. She didn't want to do this to a kid but reminded her that this was Face and not a kid and that he would die of sepsis if she didn't go on and clean the abscess well.

She continued her task while Face screamed and sobbed and begged, it was heartbreaking. Tears were running down Murdock's cheeks as he continued to hold Face and had no hand to wipe them away. Even BA looked close to tears.

Maggie worked as fast as she could while still being thorough. Finally she had removed as much puss as possible. She prepared to wash out the wound with a disinfectant solution that she had drawn into a large syringe. As soon as the burning liquid was released into him Face screamed and bucked for a last time before his eyes rolled back and he was out.

"Thank god. John, I never ever want to do this again."

"I know, Mags, I know. I hope he'll be Face when he comes around."

Maggie inserted a large drain into the wound and stitched him up."

"What now?"

"We need to start him on antibiotics. I wanted him to be stronger, it will be very hard on him but there's no option, I can't wait any longer."

Face, or rather Morrison, woke just some minutes after Maggie had finished the procedure. "Owww…hurts so…ouww…Ella…James…please…make it stop."

Hannibal took his hand and rubbed the back. "Just breathe kid, just breath. Doc is all done, you'll feel better soon. Ella and James can't come inside just now because the place has to stay sterile, do you understand?"

"Ouwww…you said…ahhh….they come…when…Doc finished…ouwww." His face was wet with tears.

"What about you talk to them on the phone for now, will that be okay? Come on, I know you're a strong boy."

Face nodded ever so slightly and Maggie left the room to call the Holmes' and prepare them for their role in the game before connecting the call to the room where Hannibal once again held the receiver to Face's ear.

"Tem…Morrison my dear, we'll be with you as soon as the doctor allows it. We're just outside. Be strong for us, son."

" 'kay." It was more of a sob than a word.

Hannibal saw the signs. Face would be out soon. He had an idea and removed the receiver.

"Morrison, what do you remember about the time you spent with the lady that kidnapped you?"

"Cold…always cold…hungry."

"Did she hurt you?"

Face's eyes drifted shut before he could answer.

* * *

><p>There was something different about that scream, it didn't turn her on but off.<p>

"Arghhh" Sue cried out in frustration. "That darn useless kid again." All arousal was gone and she was left sticky and without satisfaction. She needed Templeton, her Templeton, the strong, sexy and beautiful war vet and not some nutcase that thought he was a child. She angrily got up and turned off her listening device for now. She didn't want to listen to this freak show.

* * *

><p>"Hannibal?"<p>

"Face only remembers up to the point where his arm was broken and Mags said it happened days before we found him. It just occurred to me that Morrison knew he was with that woman. Now Face doesn't remember the things that happened to Morrison and vice versa. My guess is he turned into Morrison when things got too much and she disposed of him because she had no use for him. If that theory is right she would not have hurt Morrison. She's a lunatic and she's after Face not Morrison."

"So what does it matter?" B.A. asked.

"I'm not sure…maybe it doesn't. But it's a valuable piece of information to keep in our pocket for when she makes her return."

Maggie was cleaning up her tools but stopped and looked up. "You're really sure she'll be back, aren't you.? She'd be taking an awful risk."

Hannibal nodded. "True, but she's already given up her career and any hope of a normal life. Odds are she'll take that risk."

"Spending as much time as I have with all sorts of…um…well…" Murdock began.

"Crazy people," B.A. finished.

"I was going to say disturbed individuals, but okay. The point is this type of behavior will only escalate…the longer she's away the more manic and dangerous she becomes."

"In that case, we better get back to our original plan and all the more reason we keep Ella and James away. B.A., take first watch. Murdock, get some sleep. I'll stay with Face."

"And I'll stay here as well," Maggie smiled.

"Well, you did tell them to get a room," Murdock joked to B.A.

Maggie blushed and clarified. "I'll stay here to take care of my patient."

B.A. raised his eyebrows. "MmmHmm…done heard that one before."

"You two are impossible." Hannibal pointed to the door. "Out."

Maggie started Face on another IV and hung two bags: one with antibiotics and one to pump some fluids into him. Then she sat down next to Hannibal, instinctively leaned into him, and thus began the wait.

It took a long time for Face to come around again; so long that Hannibal had started pacing and Maggie was doing vital checks every ten minutes.

Finally there came a groan from the bed followed by two pain filled eyes fluttering open.

Hannibal was at his side in an instant. "Hey, kid. Welcome back."

"Is it…over?" Face rasped.

"Yes," Hannibal smiled; he was glad to have his lieutenant back and not Morrison. "The surgery is over…you did great."

"I'll have to do another scan of your abdomen later, but I think I removed all the particles and you should heal up just fine."

"Thanks…Maggie," Face said but then winced.

"How's the pain, kid?"

"Can…take it."

"That's not what I asked."

"Hurts…but not like before."

Both Hannibal and Maggie sighed in relief…things were looking up…or so they thought?

* * *

><p>Sue picked up her phone and began dialing.<p>

"Hello."

"Hi…is this Mary Holmes?" Sue asked.

"Yes…Jane?"

"It's me! How's my favorite roomie doing?"

"I'm just great…oh my God…I haven't heard from you in months! I was getting worried, Jane!"

"I'm sorry. Things have been…well…insane."

The two chatted for a while and finally Sue asked, "How are your parents doing? I never met them, but I feel as if I know them."

"They're doing really well. Still living in Bad Rock…

* * *

><p>"Face, do you think you're up to drinking some water?"<p>

"Yeah."

"Okay, small sips." Maggie handed Hannibal a cup.

"Here you go kid."

Face took a few sips and ended up with a coughing fit. When the pain subsided he looked around the room searching.

"What is it kid?"

"More."

"More what?"

"Drink."

"You just coughed up your lungs from drinking and you want more?"

"Still thirsty."

Hannibal looked at Maggie with question marks in his eyes.

"Go ahead, it's good if he drinks on his own."

Hannibal held the cup to Face's lips again and he managed to drink it all. While it was only small sips it felt good to feel the water in his dry throat.

Face lay back and enjoyed the feeling for a while until his stomach rumbled loudly and he looked embarrassed.

"Seems your stomach just remembered that there's something called food. We've been feeding you through the IV and from what I heard Sue wasn't feeding you well too."

At the mention of Sue all color drained from his face and his eyes started darting around the room wildly.

"She's not here kid, you're safe. You're safe. Calm down kid."

"But…but…when did she tell you?"

"She didn't, you did…well, Morrison did."

"Morrison? Who's that?"

"Ah…never mind, what now, are you hungry or not?"

"Very."

"Good, I'll go make you some chicken soup."

"No."

"No?"

"Something from Murdock?"

"Do you mean to tell me that Murdock is the better cook than I?"

"Your chicken soup….well…"

"What about it?"

"Awful"

"Brat"

Maggie laughed hard. "I'll go tell Murdock to cook something." She was still laughing when she came back.

"…it's not."

"Is"

"Are you still arguing about your cooking?"

"He can't even form complete sentences but is complaining about my chicken soup, which, by the way, he has eaten countless times in the past when he was sick."

"Well, maybe now he's too sick to take it?"

"You team up with him? I can't believe it."

"Change of topic, Face, let's exercise your neck a little while we wait, I saw it's still hurting you."

They went through some exercises and Maggie was pleased to see he could move his head to some extent without pain, only if he moved it more he had problems but she was sure to get rid of it within a reasonable time with some more exercises

Within a short time Murdock showed up with a covered meal.

"Ah, now let's see if this is better than my chicken soup."

Murdock opened the cover and set the plate in front of Face who's eyes lit up.

"Oatmeal the way Face likes it, cooked with a little milk and sugar and nothing in it on it or around it, open up, here comes the plane."

Face didn't even object to being fed, it felt so good to get warm food into his stomach.

Hannibal threw his hands in the air in mocked shock. "I give up."

Maggie jabbed him in the ribs playfully. "You'll never give up on your boys."

Hannibal was sure to meet Face's eyes as he responded, "never."

* * *

><p>Sue hung up the phone wearing a smug grin. "I'm so good that sometimes I even impress myself."<p>

It had taken her a while after joining the Bad Rock Sheriff's Department to realize that her old roommate from just after college was Ella and James' daughter. But it was confirmed a few weeks back when she saw her picture hanging in the Homes' hallway. It was just another sign that her and Templeton were meant to be together.

It was too good to be true when Mary mentioned that she hadn't seen her parents in a while and that she was worried because they were involved in some sort of situation that required their house to be under police surveillance.

_'I'm due for a little vacation,' Sue said innocently. 'Why don't I swing by and pick you up. From there we can drive to Bad Rock and take your parents away for the week.'_

_'I can't ask you to do that, Jane. It's a three hour drive from here and I don't even know how long it will take you to get to my place.'_

_'Nonsense,' Sue enthused while twisting the phone cord between her fingers. 'I won't take no for an answer.'_

_'Well…it would be nice to see you…and my folks. Tell you what…how about I pick them up and we can all meet here."_

_'Perfect,' Sue smile; her old friend had just made tings a whole lot easier. 'Can't wait.'_

And from that moment on Sue's first phase of her plan went into effect. The idea was to empty out the Holmes' house and get Hank to call off his dogs. Then she could come back and redecorate the inside more to her liking. 'I'll call it dominatrix chic,' she thought.

By the time all was said and done, she would lure the A-Team to the house and make them watch as she tortured Templeton endlessly. And then she would force them to torture him as well. She got hot and excited at the endless possibilities.

Sue picked up a small framed picture, brought it to her lips, and kissed it. 'It won't be long until we're reunited, lover.'

* * *

><p>B.A. watched Face sleeping and was reminded of another time when he sat by a sleeping Face's bedside.<p>

It was just after Nam and before the team had really started taking jobs. Face had gone out to scam them some food by pretending to be a pizza delivery boy. He was on his way back to the van with a couple of pies straight from the oven in his arms when a car came from out of nowhere.

They had watched in horror as Face jumped out of the way but a moment too late. He was clipped by the vehicle and by the time they reached him he was lying motionless on the side of the road.

'Face, where does it hurt?' Hannibal asked kneeling beside the injured but awake man.

'I'm okay…just help…me up. We gotta…go…drawing…attention.'

Face was right and B.A. scooped him up into his arms and they piled in the van. B.A. drove as Hannibal and Murdock tended to Face.

'Now, tell me where it hurts,' Hannibal asked again.

'Leg,' Face managed to get out through gritted teeth.

Murdock cut his black pant leg open…or what was left of it…to reveal a limb that was rubbed raw from calf to mid thigh and was bleeding badly. By the time they reached the motel Face was out cold from pain and blood loss. They cleaned him and bandaged his leg. The rest of the night they took turns watching over him.

It was B.A.'s turn when Face finally woke and he smiled at the memory of what his first words were.

_'Did you save the pizza.'_

_'Nah, man, we was too busy savin' you,' B.A. teased._

_'Damn, I was really in the mood for pizza.' And with that he was out again._

B.A. was brought back to the moment as Face started to moan softly.

Face woke up with a start and bolted straight upright in bed.

"Argh," he cried as the movement assaulted his fresh belly wound. The room started to spin and he started falling over to the side but was caught by two muscular arms.

"Sue…I…I…where is she….BA?"

"Calm down man, she's not here, just a dream."

Face ran a weary hand over his eyes. "Sorry…it's just…just…anytime I close my eyes I see her."

BA was uneasy being the one Face talked to. He usually was just joking, carefree, but now he was serious and BA didn't know what to do. "It's okay man…guess I would see her around every corner too, the way you look, she did quite a number on you, can't be easy."

'If only you knew.' "Yeah, she scares me."

"Hey man, no need to be scared when BA Baracus is around. I'll watch over you, won't let anyone get close to you, especially no lunatics."

"Thanks BA, though, I like Murdock."

"He ain't no lunatic, just a fool, that's different."

"Yeah, I'll tell him." Face was visibly shaking.

"You cold man?"

"What? No, why?"

"You shaking, that's why."

"Oh ..it's…just…oh boy. If I don't get a grip you may have to live with two fools on the team."

"Don't worry man, have been dealing with three fools for so long now."

Maggie came inside and was surprised to see Face up. "Face, how do you feel?"

"Better."

"Why don't I buy that?"

"Don't know?"

"Because you are so exhausted that you should have slept straight through the night instead of waking up after just two hours. It's just getting dark. Where does it hurt most?"

"It's difficult to con you. Belly. But it's really better than before."

Maggie checked the wound and was satisfied the drain was working, it didn't look as bad again and Face tolerated a little pressure around his navel. "Think you can eat some more? You have to use the time until the antibiotics kick in and you're too sick to eat."

"Can try."

"Do you feel like you can't get enough air in? I can raise you a bit more."

"Yeah."

"Okay, BA, raise him, I'll put some more pillows under you." Maggie was troubled by the one word answers he gave, she didn't know him that good but it seemed odd. She would have to talk to John about that. The last thing they needed now was mental aspects or a depression.

"I'll tell Murdock to get you some more oatmeal and then I want you to sleep through the night. I took another blood test while you slept, whatever was in your system is out now. I can give you a mild sedative if you can't sleep."

"No,no, I…I won't need that, sure not."

The answer came too fast and was expressed with too much emphasis for her liking.

* * *

><p>Sue started packing up the things she needed. Good thing she had rented another apartment under a wrong name just in case. The disguise she had been wearing to get it would also come in handy when she met up with the Holmes' for the second time. She would contact Mary again first thing tomorrow morning to arrange for a time.<p>

The elderly couple didn't have the best eyesight and would never recognize her donning a short black pixie hairstyle and glasses. But just to make sure, she purchased a pregnancy suit and was going to 'surprise' them all with the wonderful news that she was pregnant.

As for her voice, she was originally from the south but had dropped her twang when moving to Bad Rock. 'Looks like I'm fixin' to bring it on back, y'all,' she thought.

From then the plan was simple. She would get an emergency phone call from work and would have to leave right away for a couple of days. Apologizing profusely, she would promise to come back. The time away would be spent setting up the Holmes estate for her incoming guests.

One of the parts she was most excited about, however, was her return to Mary's house. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see me," she laughed out loud to herself.

And that's when things would really start getting exciting.

Ella and James would turn against their boy. 'Or watch their daughter die.'


	27. Chapter 27

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 27

The side effects of the antibiotics hit Face all at once and hard.

The dizziness was off the charts bad. He felt like he was on a merry-go-round gone wrong; it was spinning too fast and he couldn't turn it off.

The only consolation was that he wasn't experiencing the intense stomach cramps as he did last time. 'No, I'm just constantly nauseous instead,' he thought miserably.

It got so bad that he was considering Maggie's offer of a sedative. But then he would see Sue in his mind and the thought of being trapped inside a drug induced sleep with her and being unable to wake up was beyond terrifying.

Face tried to downplay just how badly he was feeling. After all, Maggie told him she had given him a very strong antibiotic, but that he only had to take it for a few more days. 'Man up, Peck. You've already let them see you scared of a girl…don't let them see you whine over a little sickness.'

But after 24 hours of the unrelenting dizziness, Face was seeing double and shaking all over from the physical strain and Maggie decided that enough was enough. Face was not really in a position to react fast and Maggie injected the sedative into the IV that was once again supplying Face with liquids.

"No…Maggie…why?" He was so utterly exhausted that even the mild sedative had him out cold in under a minute.

Face slept through the night without so much as twitching, that's how it looked from the outside anyway. On the inside it was a whole different picture. While the exhaustion and sedative kept his body still, his mind was reeling. He suffered through dream after dream where he watched from the outside what Sue had done to him.

"He'll be angry when he wakes up, probably won't let you near him with any meds again. And he'll be sick as a dog. I don't know if it was the best decision to sedate him against his wish."

"Look at him, John. He's sleeping peacefully for the first time in ages, he needs the rest and it was only a mild sedative…I would be surprised if it makes him more sick than he already was. No matter how angry he'll be, he'll get over it and it is worth it. He'll probably wake up soon. I already made him tea with some honey inside to get some energy into him. I guess after sleeping for so long he should be able to keep it down."

Face woke up a short while later. He was more exhausted than before but grateful the dreams had finally ended. That was until the faint scent of honey in the room hit him. His first reaction was panic and he bolted upright to get away from Sue, but then he realized she was not there and the scent brought back the memory of the taste in his mouth. He never even got the chance to locate the bucket before he was violently sick.

* * *

><p>"Hi Mary."<p>

"Jane, how nice of you to call back just this morning. How are you?"

"Fine, thanks. The whole thing didn't let me rest tonight. I'm so worried about your parents, they must be longing to get out of that terrible situation. How soon do you think they'll get a chance to move, I mean with police around and all."

"I'm sure they can move out anytime, I was just going to call them. With that woman on the loose I want them gone as soon as possible."

"You're right. With such a lunatic on the run you shouldn't take any chances. Tell you what, my leave starts from tomorrow. I could pack up some things and start right after work, that way we can all meet at your place this evening, how does that sound? I mean, I don't want to impose myself on you."

"No, not at all, I'll be so glad to have you around. You never know what could happen…it will be better to have the two of us watching out. I don't think she will follow them and the police says they're safe since she's not after them but you never know. After all they saw her and can identify her."

"Very true, you should be careful. You best make sure no one knows where you take them and nobody follows you. They say she's with the police so you better not tell them either…give them some different address, maybe a hotel in a different town or so."

"That's clever of you, you're so right. She may have contacts with the police. See you tonight?"

"I can't wait."

"Bye."

'Yeah, I really can't wait.' Sue chuckled to herself. She spend the day buying things she needed for her decoration and sleeping. She had a long night of decorations ahead of her, at least the part she could do in the rooms without windows so the light wouldn't be spotted from outside.

She also crept back to the woods behind Maggie's house and listened but couldn't hear anything interesting. From what she caught Templeton was so sick now that he didn't even scream and the doc even offered a sedative. She decided to get some more rest and then drive to Mary's.

"Jane, how nice to see you. Oh, and what's this, you didn't come alone. Congratulations."

"Thanks. It's still four months until we're finally three."

"You never told me you got married."

'No, and that's the best part.' "I didn't. We had it all planed but then I got pregnant and we postponed the marriage. The baby would have been born seven months into our marriage and we didn't want people to think we married only because of the baby." 'Besides Templeton isn't ready to say yes just now.'

"Come on inside, my parents are dying to meet you. Mom, Dad…this is Jane Winston I've been telling you so much about."

They ate and made small talk for some time. Sue noticed James looking at her face more often and she decided it was time for her call. She went to the bathroom and set the phone to ring in five minutes. Good thing these new mobile phones worked as alarm too.

When she came back to the room James still looked thoughtful. "You remind me of someone but I can't place it. Do you have family around Bad Rock?"

"No, oh it happens to me all the time, seems I have a common face."

The ringing of her phone stopped the conversation and she left the room.

"Ah I'm so sorry, that was my office, I'm an accountant. There's a very urgent case and I need to get back to work. Just a few days, I promise to be back as soon as possible."

"That's too bad. When will you leave?"

"Right now I'm afraid, that way I can be at the office bright and early tomorrow."

She was laughing like a maniac once she was at the highway, this went far too easy. They were eating out of her hand. She would never have thought that her habit of using her middle name at College coupled with getting married to this jerk of a man she thought was in love with her would come in that handy. Susan Jane Winston used to call herself Jane Winston and that's what Mary knew her under. What a coincidence to have been her roomy for a year. Later she got married and dropped her middle name, now she was only Susan Monroe, the one that the police was looking for, but Mary didn't know that.

While driving she sung the old children's song with a little variation inside: "To-day do I bake, tomorrow I brew, the day after that the queen's child comes in; and oh! I am glad that nobody knew that the name I am called is Susan Monroe!"

* * *

><p>Face vomited all over himself and his sheets. He felt hands rubbing his back and somebody put a bucket before him as he retched again. He collapsed back into the arms when there was nothing left in him only to bolt forward and dry heave.<p>

"It's okay, kid," Hannibal soothed. "I got ya."

"S..sor…," Face started but gagged once again; the memories of his dreams had brought it all back so clearly.

"Shh, nothing to be sorry for."

Maggie stripped the top sheet off of the bed and got out a fresh set. "I'll get a basin with some water and towels," she said to Hannibal who still had a shaking Face in his arms. "I'll be right back."

Hannibal smiled his thanks. "You think you can lie back now?" he asked.

"Yeah." Face winced in pain and put his good hand on top of his belly.

"Let me take a look, Face," Hannibal said prying his hand away and noticing blood on the palm. "You ripped some stitches. Just lie still until Maggie comes back so she can check you over."

"Why?" Face asked.

"Because you're bleeding."

Face shook his head. "No…why…why…drug me? Couldn't wake up…stuck in…nightmare. "

Hannibal saw that Face was close to hyperventilating. "Slow your breathing, kid. Just calm down…you're safe…it's okay."

Again Face shook his head, but he had no breath left to speak with.

"Maggie just wanted you to get some rest," Hannibal explained. "She was…"

Maggie had been listening outside the door and walked back in interrupting Hannibal. "She was wrong to not consider the ramifications of her actions. I should have asked you why you didn't want the sedative before forcing it on you. I'm so very sorry, Face."

Face saw the tears in Maggie's eyes and only felt worse. "Not mad…at…you. I…I…can't get…what she did…to me…out of …my mind. Won't be…able to…rest until…until…" Face stopped short not wanting to think about having to face her again.

"None of us will rest until we catch her, kid. But we will catch her and we won't let her hurt you ever again."

* * *

><p>Sue listened to Hannibal telling her man that they would never let her hurt him again. "You will have no choice, Colonel Smith," she seethed. "It will be hard for you to catch me since I'll have you all under my control before you know what hit you."<p>

Sue heard Doctor Sullivan say she would have to clean his wound and sew him back up. It had been too long since she had heard him in pain and she needed another fix. She stretched out in the back seat of her vehicle. She figured it wouldn't take long, but it would have to do.

There was the sharp intake of breath as what she assumed was antiseptic meeting wound. Sue moved her hands up under her shirt and began to fondle her breasts imagining it was Templeton on top of her.

Sue could hear Face breathing heavy from the pain and every so often a soft moan would escape his lips. She kept one hand on her right breast and snaked the other down into her panties.

* * *

><p>Maggie had finished the stitches but the slight warmth coming from the incision side had her concerned. "Face, I want to do another ultrasound to make sure all is okay inside."<p>

Face frowned. "Nothing is okay inside."

Maggie kicked herself. "Okay…Maybe I could have picked better words."

Hannibal couldn't remember the last time he had seen Face look so lost and it was starting to concern him way more than his physical health. "You're going to be okay inside and out…it's just going to take some time."

Maggie put the wand onto the far left side of his lower abdomen and began to press. She slowly moved it around hitting every spot except directly on top of the cut itself.

Face was beyond able to hold back the cries of pain as he was mentally and physically spent.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I just want to be careful."

* * *

><p>Sue had been disappointed when the stitching went as quickly as it had; she was all turned on with nowhere to go with it. But just as she was about to get up and move on to the Holmes' house, Maggie mentioned the ultrasound.<p>

Face panted and groaned. 'Ow,' he cried out. Groans turned to whimpers and Sue was beside herself with lust and passion. She rubbed her breast and stroked down below furiously.

As Face's sounds of pain increased so did her pleasure. She was so close…so close…so close…about to explode!

'Argh…ah…ah…oh, God,' Face gasped.

Sue threw her head back as waves of pure bliss radiated through her vagina and travelled seemingly up to her brain where she literally saw fireworks.

If just hearing Face could do that to her, she couldn't wait to feel the effect of the games she and his friends would play with him.

* * *

><p>Face had his eyes shut and was breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth for a while after Maggie had concluded her exam. He hadn't expected it to hurt as much as it had or for the ache to linger on so long.<p>

"What did you find?" Hannibal asked when Maggie didn't readily off the information.

"Luckily, everything looks just fine. There are no new signs of infection."

"Then why is he in so much pain?"

Maggie sighed and chewed at her lip for a moment knowing that she was part of the cause. "I had to probe quite deep to remove the abscess and that will cause his entire abdominal region to be especially tender for at least a couple more days. Couple that with just being sewn up and the effects of the antibiotics, he…"

"He…is…right here," Face whispered.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to talk over your head."

"No…you only mean to act over my head."

"I'm sorry Face, I just thought it was best…"

"Why does everybody always know what's best for me even if I clearly object?" He didn't even know where the anger came from. Just now he had told Maggie he wasn't mad at her and now he was. Probably the pain, the dizziness, feeling nauseous and the still fresh dreams from the night combined. He was beyond pissed at this moment, not only at Maggie but at Hannibal, the team and the whole world altogether. Bad luck for Maggie and Hannibal to be around at the wrong moment in time and get hit by all his rage. "You sedate me, lock me in with this lunatic for the whole night with no chance to escape and that while I told you not to, but you chose to rather ignore me and apologize afterwards. How nice of you. You don't have the slightest idea what I went through and I had it played again all night. You…"

"Face, that's enough." Hannibal would have let him vent his anger until he was deflated if it was directed at him but this was directed at Maggie who still was a stranger to the team and who had really only wanted to help. He had let Face vent some but felt it was time to intervene.

But Face was not done. "You come to her aid? I should have known, after all you're no better. How often have you treated me like air when I didn't want a certain medicine and made me take it anyway? How do you think how I feel then? Like a soldier who has earned your trust and his place on this team or a five year old tag along that can't make his own decisions? You make me take meds I don't want, you don't let me get up when I'm sick even if I'm up to it, heck, you even tell me when to sleep, what to eat and how much to drink. You do it all the time, anytime I get sick you take over my life."

Okay, that wasn't exactly true but it did happen, granted usually only after he had collapsed in a heap after pushing himself too far when being sick but that was beside the point now. It had happened. Face was starting to feel pressure building behind his eyes and an aching sensation across his forehead. The light was beginning to bother his eyes and his nausea was building. The increasing pain was only fueling his anger as well as his desire to get them out of the room before he was in the middle of a full blown migraine. So he continued on.

"Why do you do this? Don't you think I can make my own decisions? Look at BA, he's limping around; is limping more now than before I was kidnapped. But nobody tells him to go and rest, to not walk on that leg, to lay down, to take meds he doesn't want and so on. If that was me I would have a whole list of do's and don'ts by now. Or Murdock, because of his craziness everybody leaves him alone no matter what, he eats things that are clearly not meant to be eaten, like shaving cream, but everybody just laughs. If it was me doing that you would read me a whole day lecture about how I endanger my health and therefore the freedom of the team. Just why does everyone decide to pick on me? Can't you just leave me alone and play with someone else for once?"

Hannibal shoved his hands into his pockets and counted to ten inside his head to stop himself from saying something he might regret later. "Face, we're not picking on you. We're just trying to get you well…trying to help you."

Hannibal's voice felt as if it were getting louder; Face had to make them leave. "If that's what you call help, then no thank you. Now leave me alone, would ya!"

Maggie took hold of Hannibal's arm and started pulling him to the door. "John, let's go," she said softly.

"Finally, she says something that makes sense," Face grumbled, closing his eyes.

"You've gone too far, Lieutenant," Hannibal bellowed. "How dare…"

"John, I need to talk to you outside…now," Maggie insisted.

"Fine…but I will be back." Once outside, Hannibal said, "He had no right to say those things…especially to you."

"I deserved some of it for giving him the drugs…but that's not the point. Don't you see that he is hurting?"

"Of course he's hurting. He's on antibiotics and yesterday you cut open his stomach."

"He was also tortured by a crazy woman who probably did a lot more to him than he'll ever admit to us. We need to cut him some slack and allow him to be angry…even if he takes it out on us."

Hannibal ran a hand through his silver hair. "Damn…you're right."

Maggie smiled knowingly. "The sooner you get used to it, the better."

Hannibal rolled his eyes, but then pulled her into a hug. "Thank you."

Maggie relaxed into the embrace. When she finally did pull away, it wasn't by choice.

* * *

><p>It took Sue a full two days to get things set up the way she wanted to in the Holmes' house. Focusing on the large master bedroom and bathroom she made sure there were lots of ways to entertain her guests…as well as fool proof ways to keep them from escaping.<p>

Before leaving she set up the basement to accommodate anybody else who dared get in the way. 'Doctor Sullivan and Hank for sure,' she thought lining up cans of food and bottles of water. "But you never know who might stop by for dinner…and wind up staying a whole lot longer."

Eventually she and Face would escape back to their humble abode and she would arrange for the others to be freed. But until that time she had to make sure that she was in total control of everybody and everything in that house.

Sue waited until she was back in her car before calling Mary to avoid somebody tracing her call. Using her accent she said, "Mary…good news. I'm done with work and heading back your way. It's late…no need to wait up, I'll just use your spare key and let myself in."

After hanging up, Sue added, "I'll let myself in and set up for my little surprise."

* * *

><p>Face was feeling much better than he had a couple of days prior when after lashing out at Maggie and Hannibal he had chased them out of the room only to send them running back in a few minutes later. He had reached out to the nightstand for a glass of water thinking that dehydration might be causing his headache. But Face was shaking so bad that he knocked the glass to the floor. The shattering sound sent daggers of pain through his skull and he collapsed back onto the pillows.<p>

Maggie and Hannibal found Face with a hand covering his eyes to block the light and tears leaking out from beneath.

Recognizing the signs of a migraine, Maggie dimmed the lights and lowered the shades. Hannibal held Face's hand and put cool cloths on his forehead.

"Sor…ry…for…for…what…said," Face forced out, before blacking out.

When he awoke next Hannibal was still holding his hand and for the first time since Sue kidnapped him, he felt completely safe.

And now he had just gotten off of the antibiotics, was able to move around a bit on his own, and was even able to hold a meal down.

The best part was that he wasn't seeing Sue every time he closed his eyes. He caught himself smiling and it felt really good.

The healing had begun.

* * *

><p>Sue sat in the dark at the kitchen table extra early in the morning so as to be the first one there. All had gone her way once again and she arrived to a dark and sleeping household.<p>

The door swung open and the light switch was flicked on to reveal Mary, Ella and James.

"Good morning," Sue smiled and jumped up. "Surprise!"

The trio took in the blonde and not pregnant figure before them in shocked silence.

"Jane? What's going on?" Mary asked.

"That's not Jane…that's Susan Monroe," Ella said her voice quivering.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Sue cheered.

James was inching his way over toward the counter where there was a block of knives. Sue reached down and pulled a gun out from an ankle holster. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Now, let's sit and have a nice breakfast while I explain to you how you are going to reunite me with my love."

"Never!" Ella spat.

"We'll just see about that, now won't we."

* * *

><p>The phone rang and Hannibal picked it up. "Hello. What? Where are you? I'll grab Hank and we'll be on our way."<p>

"Who was that, colonel?" Murdock asked.

Hannibal was already dialing Hank's number as he spoke. "That was Ella. They spotted Sue…looks like she might have followed them. We need to get on the road right away. Go get B.A. and tell Maggie to stay with Face."

Murdock nodded. "What do I tell Face?"

"Tell him there was more trouble in town and we need to help Hank."

"Yes, sir."

Hank picked up on the other end. "It's Hannibal. We got a lead on Sue…we'll pick you up in ten."

* * *

><p>Ella hung up the phone the anguish clear on her face. "Okay…I did as you told me. Now stop pointing that thing at my daughter."<p>

Sue had given them a choice. Call and tell the A-Team that they spotted her miles away or watch their daughter pay the ultimate price. She had tied them up early in the morning and made them wait until late afternoon to place the call. That way she could use the cover of darkness when she grabbed her love.

"Fair enough," Sue agreed placing the gun down on the coffee table. Mary, Ella and James were tied up on the living room couch.

"What happens now?" Mary asked relieved to not have a gun pressed against her temple.

"Now we get in my car and go home to Bad Rock. You see…it's really quite brilliant. They will be on their way here while we will be heading back there. By the time they figure out what's going on, Templeton and I will be cuddling in bed." And the others, including Maggie would be safely locked in the basement.

James felt sick that they were helping the lunatic hurt Face again, but they had no choice. "And what happens to us?" he asked meekly.

"Nothing as long as you do as I say."

"You'll never get away with it," Ella said.

"Oh, dear sweet Ella." Sue's eyes flashed and she grinned evilly. "When they hear Templeton screaming, they will have no choice but to submit to my rules. Now let's move!"

Sue had dumped the van she had used the last time and gotten a dark one without windows in the back. Inside she had molded rings to the sides and the floor that she used to secure her prisoners. They had to sit on the floor since there were no benches or chairs.

"Hang on; it may be a bumpy ride. It's quite some way too and I'm afraid our caterer has his free day today."

With an evil smile she closed the door and when she opened it again the Holmes found themselves in their own garage back in Bad Rock. Sue had taken the pick-up to the barn the A-Team van used to be the night before.

"Welcome home ladies and gentlemen. I'll take you to your accommodations one by one. You can scream for help if you want to, you know how far outside we are. Nobody will hear you. Mary dear, your old folk looks like they need a moment to collect themselves. They look quite shaken. Be my first guest." She pointed her gun at her and with the other hand undid the shackles. Here too she had used a system of chains so she didn't need to get to close to her prisoner when unshackling them. She led Mary into the big family room that she had redecorated. The sofa and armchairs were lined up at the walls. Rings and chains were hanging from the wooden ceiling and fixed to the wooden floor. In the center of the room she had put up a big bed as her playground with Templeton. She would probably not have intercourse with him here because she didn't like an audience for that therefore the bed had no pillows or blankets, just the mattress covered with a sheet. She wanted to have some kind of stage to torture Templeton on and she wanted him to lay comfortable, after all she loved him and this was all love play, although he didn't see that yet. And just in case she couldn't hold out any longer and decided that to hell with the audience, she would have him in bed and ready.

Mary was tied to an armchair at the wall facing the foot end of the bed. Next Sue brought in Ella and tied her up at the sofa to the left, followed by James who was fixed to the right.

"It was a long night and a lot of work during the last days. I'll take a nap, feel free to rest too, the show won't start until tonight." With that she left the group and retreated to the bedroom she had chosen for herself to catch an hour of sleep before putting the next phase of her plan into work. The A-Team was at least three hours away and she was so sure of herself. Also she wanted to wait for darkness to fall. She had left a note at Mary's saying that they had all gone out for dinner figuring they would be safe in a public place. The A-Team had no reason to become suspicious of the empty house, and even if they did they still had to drive back.

* * *

><p>"Maggie, can I help you with the dishes?"<p>

"No. you just sit there. That was the first time in ages you took a meal while sitting at the table, you sure don't need to stand around cleaning dishes. Just a little more and I want you to go back to bed and lay down."

"Ahh, c'mon, I feel much better, I don't need to lay around all day, I can help some."

"You won't feel better for long if you push yourself, enjoy the attention while it lasts."

"I don't want to be sitting around useless. I feel like furniture already"

"Oh Face, stop whining."

Maggie turned to her dishes when suddenly the light went off. "Oh great, now of all times. Let me get the torch light from the kitchen cabinet."

"Wait…don't move."

"What? What's it?"

"I think I heard something." Face's ears were trained to listen for anything out of the ordinary. He was just whispering now.

"Can you reach the phone?"

Maggie did and checked for the signal. "It's dead."

"Damn, stay here, duck behind the fridge. I'll check it out." Out of habit the team always had a gun stashed in every room of the house or apartment they currently used. Face reached for the one in the kitchen cabinet and made his way towards the sound he had heard. He made it up to the entrance of the sitting room when he saw movement at the other side of the room.

"Freeze."

The shadow kept moving towards him but ducked low and behind pieces of furniture.

"I said freeze."

The shadow made another move and Face gave a shot in the direction, not aimed to kill but to warn.

"Ouch, damit." The bullet had grazed Sue's arm. While it burned like hell it wasn't anything serious.

'That voice.' Face froze as the memories came crashing back at him.

Sue used the moment to rush forward and grab the gun out of his hand. "Did you miss me, baby?" she cooed, cocking the gun and pointing it toward his crotch. "If you try to run I'll blow your balls off." She laughed maniacally. "I always wanted to say that."

Face was shaking so badly. He thought of yelling out to warn Maggie, but he thought there might be a chance Sue didn't know the doctor was in the house with him. Not to mention that he had grown rather fond of his balls over the years.

Maggie heard the shot from the other room and prayed to God that Face hadn't been hurt. She crept out from behind the fridge toward the phone to call Hannibal on the van phone only to remember that her line was dead. 'The radio,' she thought. Hannibal had left his behind in his haste, but it was possible that one of the others had taken one.

"Hello…come in…come in," she said as quietly as she could. "Please come in."

It took about a minute before there was a reply from the other end. "Maggie…what's wrong?"

"Hannibal, thank God. She's here…she…"

The lights went on and moments later the kitchen door flew open to reveal Sue holding a gun to a visibly trembling Face; even in the semi dark of the hallway she could see his fear.

"Maggie…Maggie…talk to me," Hannibal's voice came through the radio.

"Answer him, Maggie," Sue dared. "And then answer to him later about watching Face die."

Maggie put down the radio. "It's too late…I already told them."

"No matter…this just means that I have to accelerate my plan a bit. Now, doctor, you're going to bandage up my arm while lover boy and I get reacquainted. The first sign of either one of you trying to pull anything and I will start shooting."

Maggie cleaned and wrapped Sue's arm listening to the armed and crazy woman talk to an almost catatonic Face about how much she missed him and about the wonderful plans she had for them both. "You're delusional, you know that?" Maggie finally exploded.

"And do you know, Doc, that you're really starting to get under my skin." She reached over and took a pair of scissors out of the first aid kit. She put the tip to Face's shoulder and slowly pushed. "And as a result, I'm going to get under Templeton's skin."

Face tensed but kept still and silent. He wouldn't let himself fall apart; he had to keep a level head if he was going to get them out of this mess.

Maggie watched in horror as Sue continued to push deeper. "Stop!"

Sue stopped pressing and looked a Maggie smugly. "Here's the deal, Sullivan. I'm placing you under arrest…my arrest."

Face met Maggie's eyes and they told her to just play along. Sue quickly pulled the scissors out of his arm and Face stifled a cry.

Sue was deadly serious as she added, "anything you do and say will be used against Templeton in my court of love. Now…move."

The next couple of hours were a blur to Face who now lay chained to the bed in the family room of the Homes' house. Ella and James and who he assumed was their daughter had been there at first but Sue quickly removed them and took them to the basement where she was keeping Maggie.

'I was going to let them watch me play with you for a while before my next audience arrived, but I'm afraid there isn't time,' she announced before leading them away. His heart yearned to have them stay with him, but at the same time he didn't want them to witness what he feared was coming.

He didn't even know where she was by now. It must have been deep in the night but he hadn't seen her since she took the others away. He was shivering in the cold night air. At least this time she had left him his boxers but that was all he wore right now and it didn't really keep him warm.

He wanted to force himself to rest while he could knowing he would need all his energy when she got started but he just couldn't focus. Not knowing what she was up to was the worst. She had leered at him when she cut off his clothes after tying him down but stopped when she got to his boxers and led the others away. That had been over an hour ago. He prayed she wasn't hurting them. It almost killed him to not know what was happening to his team. They had been called away to help Hank in town, surely it couldn't take that long and Maggie said she had gotten thru to them on the radio, or was it a bluff? Or had Sue somehow managed to capture the team? He hoped not.

'This thinking doesn't get you anywhere Peck, man up already, focus and rest while you can. Mind games, that's all it is. You know this…have been at the receiving end so many times. It was one of the favorite games of the VC. So they were predictable and she's a lunatic, that's the difference here. But can she possibly hurt you more than she already did? Well, yeah damnit, if she turned against his team. And that's what you need rest for you idiot, to be ready and protect them. Okay, that's better, focus on your team Peck, that's it.'

Just as he had found the peace of mind to rest the door opened and in came Sue.

"Well, if that's not my favorite lunatic of the week. And I so hoped it was room service."

"Oh you'll get room service honey, just not the food type of service, unless you want to repeat the honey game again." While talking she reached into her pocket and brought out some slim case. "Let's have some fun baby."

Face recognized the item as the electric stimulator and almost got sick at the memory.

"I missed you so much baby," she cooed, "I need you deep inside me or I'll go insane with need and want." She fondled him through his boxers. Then she reached for the scissors and got ready to cut his boxers off of him. Just as she got ready to make the first cut an alarm went off.

Sue startled then went to switch it off.

"That late already and I thought we could have some fun first. We expect visitors tonight."

She crept over to the door and waited for her guests. Face could hear the van some distance away.

When the van came into sight, Sue picked up the radio Maggie had used earlier. "Come in, boys, come in," she said in a sexy voice. "Talk to me."

Hannibal heard Sue on the radio and felt his pressure rising. "I don't want to talk to her, I want to kill her," he mumbled before picking up his radio and answering. "This is Hannibal Smith."

"I have a little poem for you fine fellas. It goes like this: Roses are blue, violets are red; try anything stupid, and Face will be dead."

"What do you want?" Hannibal asked.

"I already have what I want…my lover waiting for me in bed. What I demand, however, is for the four of you to walk through the front door…unarmed and with your hands in the air. I'll be watching with a knife to Templeton's throat."

"How do I know you haven't killed him already?" Hannibal knew she had no intentions of doing so, at least not until she had tortured him some more. But he wanted to get some sense of what condition his man was in.

"Talk to him yourself." Sue walked over to the bed and put the radio in front of Face with one hand and held a butcher's knife with the other.

"Colonel," Face said stonily.

"Lieutenant," Hannibal replied back. "You okay?"

"Peachy," he said with mock enthusiasm. "Well, with the exception of the psycho broad holding a knife to my nuts."

"Hang tough."

"Did you have to use the word 'hang'?"

Hannibal couldn't help but smile. Face was cracking jokes, and that was definitely a good sign. But how long would he be able to keep up his façade?


	28. Chapter 28

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 28

Sue snatched the radio away from Face and moved the knife up to his throat as threatened. "We'll be waiting."

Hannibal looked at the others. "We do as she says…no weapons."

"But…" Hank started.

"No buts," B.A. grunted. "We ain't messin' round with the Faceman's life."

But if everything went according to Sue's plan they would be messing around with his body, but not before Sue put on a show for them first.

Hank was sent to the basement with the Holmes' and Maggie and the team was chained up right in front of Face so they could have a front row view of the show. She had brought Maggie back from the basement so that the doctor could patch him up when she was done. With so many people around she didn't want to remove her attention from the audience for too long, just in case they should try something.

All four stood side by side at the foot end of the bed, just out of reach of Face, their feet chained to rings on the floor and their arms to rings above their heads. The doctor was the first one to the left so she could easily be allowed to get to Templeton without the need for Sue to get too close to the men. The chains on Maggie were longer. Sue wouldn't need to untie her, just give her more length and she could do her job before joining the others again. Sue had thought of everything, or so it seemed.

"My dear, you have to work with me here. I had to hastily conjure this decoration together and there is not as much technique to it as in our hut. I can move the chains only manually and they won't pull you in place. So Templeton, my love, if you would please get up for me. Stand at the foot of the bed, I'll give you enough length to maneuver into position before I tighten your bonds again."

"And just why should I do that? It's quite comfy here, although, a comforter would be nice."

"I'm sure you'll see reason." Sue moved behind Maggie and held a gun to her head."Move!"

"Okay, okay, remove that… I'll do what you want."

"Ahh, such a good boy." Sue cooed while Face got up and stood on the bed. Sue got on it behind him holding up a cane.

"No, you crazy nut, you can't do that. His back hasn't even healed."

"Ts ts ts Sullivan, I thought you had understood the rules, anything you say or do will be held against Templeton here. And that applies to the rest of you too. I was going to give him twenty lashes but you just earned him another ten."

"Why…why are you doing this?" Maggie was not about to back down but Hannibal gave her a look willing her to stop. He knew that game, the VC liked to play it, watch in silence or the one tortured will pay the price.

"Ahh, poor Templeton, now it's additional fifteen. But I'll tell you why. This is his punishment for shooting me. How can you shoot the woman you love? That's called what? Domestic violence? He needs to be punished. Any more questions doc?"

Maggie remained silent.

"Good then let's get started. Uhmmm, Murdock, you count out loud for us."

Murdock too knew the game and resisted the urge to say anything. He counted through the grueling torture. They could see the pain in Face's features but he didn't utter a sound. She was no expert with the cane. Although it hurt and broke his skin in several places the pain was manageable. When Murdock finally reached 35 Sue brought the cane down

"That should teach you to shoot at your wife to be. Now that this is settled I want you to know that I'm not holding a grudge against you. Lay back down now, I want to check you over."

When she loosened his bonds Face sagged to his knees, relieved to get a chance to lay down he was maneuvering himself on his side since his feet were still chained in position.

"Not like this baby, on your back."

Maggie made to object but Hannibal quickly silenced her with a look. She used the chains to pull Face on his back and tighten his arms again. He hissed and grunted as his back made contact with the fabric.

"Now let me see how the doctor treated your navel. I want to check you over real thorough."

"No, no, anything but not my navel again, please."

"Poor baby, did it hurt? But I have to make sure it's healing well." Sue removed the bandage that was still covering the site. The drain had come out only a day ago and the wound still hurt a lot. She used a scalpel to cut through the stitches. Then she inserted a tweezers into the wound. Face grunted in pain but kept all screams inside. But then she brought out a second tweezers and pulled the healing wound back open and he couldn't hold back. Sue moaned at Templeton's screams she pushed the tweezers in and out and made sure he suffered the maximum pain. Face screamed and screamed until his throat was raw. Sue was so turned on from the show but she didn't want the audience. But damn she needed some relief. When she stopped Face was on the edge of passing out.

"Okay doc, I'll allow you to patch him up, I'll give you a few minutes before I'm back to let the show continue." Sue loosened Maggie's bonds and then left the room. She went straight for the bedroom she had selected for herself, plopped down on the bed and begun to pleasure herself while picturing Templeton doing it.

"Damn, I hope this wound isn't getting infected again." Face was unresponsive by now; he was lost in a world of pain. "She didn't even loosen his bonds for me to look at his back."

"Maggie? How did she capture the two of you?"

"Face heard something in the house and went to check it out after telling me to hide. From what he told me on the ride here he froze when he realized who his opponent was and she used that moment to snatch his gun."

"He froze? He's a trained special force soldier. How can he freeze and get a civilian in trouble?"

The room went dead silent for a moment before BA found his voice. "Shut up colonel, woulda want to see you in the same situation."

"I'm not blaming him, B.A., I'm just saying that I find it odd that after all the situations we have faced in the past, he would freeze this time and allow this to happen."

Face was still reeling from the pain and having a hard time focusing, but he heard Hannibal's last words and felt like he had been punched in the gut. Having Maggie cleaning out his wound only added to that feeling. He shut his eyes and tried not to think about what a screw up he was.

"Hannibal!" Murdock exclaimed.

"B.A. looked disgusted. "If that ain't blamin' than I don't know what is."

Hannibal knew his words had come out wrong, and now he was having a hard time correcting them. "I know it's not Face's fault, but…"

Murdock interrupted, "but he allowed this to happen…using your own words."

Hannibal was getting flustered. "No…well yes…but…I…"

Hannibal didn't have a chance to finish explaining as Maggie turned away from Face and stared at the other men. "Stop it…all of you. This isn't helping Face."

Hannibal heaved a sigh. "You're right, Maggie. How is he?"

"I did the best that I can, but without access to his back, I can't tell the extent of the damage."

Face opened his eyes and looked at Hannibal; he felt dizzy and sick and was about to pass out any moment. "I…sorry…my fault. Let this…happen. Shoulda been…stronger…protected…Maggie…and you. Sorry…deserve what…I get." Face's body went limp and his head fell to the side.

"What have I done?" Hannibal whispered his eyes growing moist. He immediately flashed back to another time when Face had said, "I'm sorry…I deserved what I got."

_'Lieutenant, where in the hell have you been?' Face stood before him swaying slightly, eyes unfocused, and looking drunker than a skunk._

_'Out with Murdock and B.A., sir,' he slurred._

_'They have been back for over an hour…like you were supposed to be…try again.'_

_'After they left…I got in a fight.'_

_Hannibal felt his anger rising. 'Jesus, Face! What…you steal some guys girlfriend or something."_

_Face was blinking his eyes rapidly. 'Or something,' he replied._

_Hannibal took that as sarcasm and reached out and grabbed him by the arm. But Face yelped at the touch and fell to the ground. At first he though Face was just drunk, but as he bent over to pick him back up so he could rip him a new one, he noticed something missing. There was no smell of alcohol on the man whatsoever. Face was lying there hugging his arms around himself protectively and looking scared out of his mind._

_'Face…kid?'_

_'I'm sorry.'_

_'For what?'_

_Face shrugged but winced at the simple movement. Hannibal picked him up and carried him over to a bed where he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a spectacular array of bruises. Hannibal shook his head in sympathy, but Face saw it as disapproval._

_'I…I…they were beating…a guy...'cause he was…gay. I…I…had to stop them.'_

_Hannibal's heart swelled with pride, as Face continued._

_'I…I…know I was late. I'm sorry for not following orders. I should have been able to take them…I'm sorry… deserved what I got.'_

_'Oh, kid…no. That guy didn't deserve to be beat on because he's gay…and you certainly didn't deserve any of this. I'm sorry I assumed you were out messing around. Please remember that you never deserve to be hurt or punished when doing the right thing…even if it means not following orders once in a while.'_

Face hadn't deserved it back then and he certainly didn't deserve anything now. Hannibal only wished he was awake so he could tell him that and apologize for making him feel differently.

Murdock could see how distraught Hannibal looked and even thought he saw a tear trickle down his cheek. "I'm sorry, colonel. I know you didn't mean it the way it sounded. I guess I was just letting off some steam. I just feel so helpless."

"Yeah, me too, man. I shouldn't of gotten so angry…I know what you was getting' at."

"It just goes to prove just how badly Sue hurt Face before if she could have that effect on him…isn't that what you meant, John?" Maggie asked.

Hannibal nodded. "From now on I'll keep my mouth shut, and let you do the talking for me."

Maggie smiled slightly. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Better to be hard on myself, than on Face again. I might not have meant to blame him, but it had the same effect."

"When he wakes up, you can explain."

Face woke up a short time later. Still thinking that Hannibal was upset with him, he avoided making eye contact and focused on the ceiling.

Hannibal was about to try and explain, when Sue came back dressed in head to toe black lace and carrying a black box.

I hope you are all rested and have enjoyed the show thus far. Now it's time for the audience participation section. Inside this box are three different objects. One by one you fine gents will reach in and choose one. You will then use said instrument in whatever way I tell you or I will take the item back and make it twice as bad on our subject. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Face said wearily. "Were you dropped on your head as a child…or are you just naturally a demented freak?"

"Be nice, lover." Sue gave Face a seductive look. "I'll show you just how much a freak I can be in bed later."

Face felt his stomach roll at the thought.

"Who wants to go first?" Sue put a finger to her lips and looked up as if in thought. "I know!" She started pointing from man to man. "Eenie, meenie…"

"Enough with the rhymes already," Face groaned.

"… miney, moe…catch a Templeton by the toe. If he hollers…don't let him go…eening, meenine, miney…MOE!" She was left pointing at B.A. "Sergeant…it's your lucky day…you get to go first!"

"If you think I'm gonna hurt my friend you nuttier than I thought."

"As I said before, anything you say or do…" She picked a cattle prod from the box and held it right to the place on Face's bicep where she had done the muscle biopsy some days ago, then she pressed the trigger. Face tried to suppress any sound but couldn't help the grunts of pain that escaped his lips. "…will be held against him. Your turn, Sergeant. "

BA strained against his bonds but there was no way he was going to break them. "Not in a million years."

She moved the prod to Face's navel.

His eyes grew wide. "No, BA, please. Do it, you're only making it worse for me. Please."

"I can't."

"Sergeant, follow your superior officers orders." Hannibal hated this game but he knew Face was right. Sue was a lunatic, she wouldn't back down. Face would only suffer more. For now they could do nothing but play along and wait for their chance. Face however heard it different. He knew they had no choice but he also knew Hannibal was still angry with him for getting Maggie in trouble. He didn't know why but he was glad Sue had picked BA and not Hannibal.

"BA, please."

Sue pressed the tip of the prod into Face's navel without pressing the trigger.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it, remove that thing from there you nut."

"That's more like it." She moved behind BA to give some length to his chains. "Now take a step closer, stand beside him, come on. I made your choice for you. You're going to use the prod on him. Exactly as I tell you, and just so you don't get any stupid ideas…" she produced another, larger prod from a bag "…I have another one here and if you don't do it to my satisfaction I'll take over from you. Now please turn the voltage of the prod to low and place it on the inner side of his left elbow."

BA did as was told with an apologetic glance at Face.

"Now press the trigger and then slowly increase the voltage to full. Hold it pressed until I tell you to release it."

BA started. At first Face could suppress his moans but his arm was jerking in it's bonds and the place burned more and more. As the voltage was increased Face screamed in pain. It didn't take too long before Sue called an end but it felt like ages to everybody.

"That was nice…now move on to his armpit." The same procedure was repeated with his other armpit and elbow before Sue had BA move to the underside of Face's knees. He screamed so much his throat was raw by now. He wasn't very coherent anymore. All he knew was that he hurt all over and that BA did it. But he was still able to hold on to the thought that BA was only doing what he was forced to do.

Sue was hot and horny and knew she would soon have to leave the room to take care of her needs and allow Face to rest and recover for a while. The voltage wasn't high enough to cause more than immense pain and it would wear of rather fast, but not until she was done. She had two more places in mind.

"I love this. Now BA, move the prod to his inner thighs, don't hold it to one side for too long but alternate between both thighs."

"No, it's enough, you saying you love him, is this love?"

"Oh yeah, that's my love for him and he will soon learn to appreciate it. Now are you going to do it?"

"No."

Sue moved closer with her large cattle prod.

"Noooo, BA."

BA hadn't thought Face was still coherent enough to understand what was going on around him.

"Go away with that thing, okay, I'll do it." BA had disgust written all over his face when he placed the prod. Face's entire lower body jerked from the electricity and he screamed out more but Sue ended the game before he could pass out. She gave him some minutes break to recover.

"Now one last one and you're done my love. BA, turn the voltage to low, wouldn't want to accidentally cause any damage. Now slip the prod into his boxers and make sure it rests against skin and not fabric. I don't care where you touch him."

B.A. couldn't see inside of the boxers from his view, and said a silent prayer that he wouldn't hit him in his private parts. "I'm so sorry, Faceman," he said softly and then inserted the device.

To everybody's horror, the prod must have made direct contact with Face's shaft as his eyes opened wide and his entire body bucked and struggled against his bonds. His mouth opened wide to scream, but no sound came out at first.

"Bull's-eye!" Sue cheered. "Hold it right there."

Face opened his mouth a second time. He didn't scream…he roared. The veins in his neck were popping out from the strain and he couldn't breathe. He jerked one final time and then went slack.

Sue was already on the verge of orgasm and made a hasty exit after returning B.A. to his original position and promising to be back within the hour to allow the others their turns.

B.A.'s dark complexion looked unnaturally pale and he was sweating and shaking.

"You okay, big guy?" Murdock asked.

"Ain't nothin' okay about any of this," B.A. answered softly.

Maggie was taking Face's pulse. "It's fast…but steady." She began applying some of the salve she discovered in a basic med kit supplied by Sue. Unfortunately, there was nothing in it the team could use to their advantage to help them escape.

The faint sounds of Sue moaning with delight from a distant room coincided with the moans of pain coming from Face as he began to stir.

"Don't move, Face. Save your strength," Hannibal said softly.

"Why, for when you get your crack at me?" Face murmured. The others all thought he was trying to be sarcastic, but he still thought Hannibal was angry at him for freezing up.

"I…I'm real…sorry, man. I…I…didn't meant…um…hit you…um…down…there," B.A. fumbled.

"Not…fault. S'okay." There was the sound of the footsteps coming closer and Face closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. "She's…coming."

Sue opened the door once again after changing costumes. Now she was wearing a short, tight red mini dress. "Step right up, Murdock! You're the next contestant on The Price Is Pain!"

"You know, lady, I live in a hospital psychiatric ward and over the years I've seen lots of crazy. You, however, are just plain evil."

"Ain't nothing about me that's plain, honey," she smirked.

"Notice how she glossed right over the 'evil' part?" Murdock said to the others.

Sue brought Murdock forward as she had B.A. and held out the black box to him. "Put your hand inside and find your surprise."

"I'd rather put my hand around your neck…"

"Is that anyway to speak to your best friend's soon to be wife? Now do as I tell you."

Murdock pulled out what looked like a package of long matchsticks.

"Do you know what these are, my love?" Sue asked Face who only glared in reply. "Silver nitrate sticks. Notice how they resemble matches…that's because they burn. Dr. Sullivan I'm sure is familiar that they are often used to cauterize skin…Murdock is going to cauterize you."

"Great…can't wait," Face deadpanned.

"But it gets even better!" Sue was almost shaking with excitement. "If you can manage not to scream at all, you win The Price is Pain and we'll stop here. However, one scream…no matter how small…and we go to the bonus round." She looked at Hannibal. "And that would be you, colonel."

Face was determined not to make any sound whatsoever, but after being burned repeatedly it started to wear on his nerves…and his nerve endings. Sue had Murdock start with the soles of his feet and work his way up. She also seemed to be making him hold the stick to skin longer and it was literally eating away at his flesh.

"Very impressive, love," Sue smiled. "Ten burns and only a few small moans escaped those beautiful lips. "Let's go for an even dozen, shall we?" Sue handed two of the sticks to Murdock and ordered, "nipples…both at the same time."

"No way…," Murdock began to protest.

"We can always go back down and roast some nuts," she threatened.

"Murdock…please," Face begged. Murdock nodded sadly and placed the head of the stick directly on top of each nipple and held it there.

Face gritted his teeth and panted through his nose. His head started tossing from side to side and he began to groan. The groans became grunts and Face knew he was losing control. The pain was intensifying rapidly and finally he couldn't take it any more. "Ahhhh!" He screamed.

Murdock immediately removed the sticks and tossed them to the ground in disgust.

"Aw…too bad!" Sue mocked enjoying the sight of Face's contorted features. "I'm having too much fun to stop now…let's go right to the bonus round!" She moved Murdock back and replaced him with Hannibal who reached inside the black box she shoved before him.

Holding up a toothbrush case he looked confused.

"What is he going to do…brush me to death?" Face rasped. The pain was bad but he had it under control again. He was kicking himself. Not only had he frozen at the worst possible moment, he had also lost control and screamed. His fault, it was all his fault. He deserved whatever pain was brought his way.

"Open it," Sue smiled, rubbing her hands with anticipation.

Hannibal did as told and revealed a scalpel. "Oh no," he sighed…

* * *

><p>"Hank, how are you getting along?"<p>

"I'm doing my best James but she really thought of everything. She removed all tools from the basement, those metal shelves are the only thing of use, or at least I hope they'll be of use. When this nightmare is over I'll ask Face to teach me how to pick locks."

They had all been locked to a ring fixed to the wooden part of the ceiling with long chains. They allowed them to move around and reach the food supplies and buckets with water. She had also left them a can opener. They soon discovered that Hank's ring was closest to the metal shelf. Unlike the others he wasn't only able to reach the food but also the side of the shelf where it was screwed together. Only he had no screw driver and the screws were rusty. All he could use was the can opener and it was slow going. The plan was to get the long side bars of the shelf to use it to break the rings on the ceiling their chains were looped through. That would allow them to move around more freely and get to where the chains were fixed and maybe break free. For now he removed the screws in a pattern that would still hold the shelf together in case Sue came back. They didn't need her to see what they were up to.

Ella and Mary were huddled together in the corner, Mary consoling Ella who was crying. They could hear Face scream in the basement and it took a great toll on her.

"That poor boy, hasn't he suffered enough? And to think that she came along as such a nice police officer. How can she be so cruel?"

"I don't know mom, I don't know."

"I…I can't take to hear him scream any more. He's such a nice young man, all he wants is someone to love him. And when he was laying at that street, beaten…and now she's doing it again. It's just not fair."


	29. Chapter 29

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 29

"Oh yes, you colonel have the privilege of cutting all the bad out of Templeton. You'll have to go in deep. Earlier on I tried to cut out his bad attitude but it's still there. Maybe you'll be more successful with his disobedience. I heard you before. He forgot all his training in a crucial moment. If he's supposed to be a valuable member of your team again you need to correct his faults, cut the bad parts out of him. Where do you think his disobedience is hiding?"

"You're totally nuts."

"You think it's in his nuts? Hmm, interesting theory. Let's cut them open to see then."

"No, no I didn't say that."

"Oh, not his nuts then? So where, where do you need to cut colonel?"

"I don't need to cut him anywhere."

"That's too bad. You don't know where? I kinda like your first idea, let's see what's in his nuts." Sue stepped forward and reached for Face's waistband."

"No, wait, it's not there."

"Not? Then where colonel?"

Face's eyes were wide with horror and darting between Hannibal and Sue.

Hannibal knew he needed to come up with a part of Face's body that would heal fast and without causing trouble in future. Also there shouldn't be any main blood vessels there. And he needed that idea fast.

"His shoulder, right on top of the shoulder."

"Why"

"That….that's where the lieutenant bars are. There must be a problem with getting the message of obedience from the bars to his mind and it should be where they connect to the body."

"Sounds good. Okay colonel, he's all yours. Make sure you prod deep enough to get it all. Would be a pity if you would need to repeat the operation. Oh, and Templeton, this time you're allowed to scream."

Face shut his eyes; he didn't want to see the colonel as he cut into him. Hannibal himself had just admitted that he wasn't obedient and seemed all too willing to go along with Sue. 'This is my punishment for letting the team down ,' Face thought.

Hannibal was right beside Face's torso and he could see the younger man's jaw muscles clenched and knew he was trying to brace himself for what was to come. Hannibal rested the blade directly on top of Face's deltoid trying to avoid hitting bone.

Face felt the cold steel of the scalpel on his shoulder and waited…and waited.

"What are you waiting for?" Sue asked angrily. "Do you want me to make the first cut? As the saying goes, the first cut is the deepest. Or at least it would be if I made it!"

"No!" Hannibal said readily. "I'll do it…let me."

Face couldn't see the tortured look on Hannibal's face, he could only hear his eager tone. 'He's going to enjoy this.'

Hannibal pushed the blade in and saw Face stiffen, but he didn't utter a sound. But Hannibal stalled, unsure what to do next.

"I see I'm going to have to give you directions the whole way. And they say you're the one with the plans," Sue sneered. "Push the blade in and out remaining in the same spot until I tell you to stop."

Face bit down on his lip at the agony of being repeatedly cut into at the same spot, but still remained quiet. This only served to egg Sue on more.

"Now push in real deep and slowly drag the scalpel down his arm."

Maggie felt she had to step in. "He's going to lose too much blood."

"That's what I have you here for, my dear doctor. You can bandage the wound later and I have all sorts of intravenous fluids ready to go if you deem necessary. But I have other plans for this incision…you must be patient. Now…cut," she ordered Hannibal.

Murdock and B.A. hung their heads as Hannibal went in deep and extended the incision as slow as he could. To his immense relief Sue called a stop after just a bit over an inch.

Face hadn't screamed, but tears were freely leaking from his still shut eyes.

Sue was getting frustrated at Face's stubbornness, but the tears were a good start. "Now twist the scalpel around and around."

Hannibal was turning paler by the moment; hurting his boy in this way was worse than anything he had ever experienced. 'God, I wish it was me, kid.' But he kept those words to himself thinking that Face needed to focus on remaining strong.

Face felt the blade turning inside of his arm and he couldn't help but moan.

"That's enough…give me the scalpel." Sue took a lighter and held the flame to the tip for close to a minute. "Time to stop the bleeding."

Face's eyes flew open at that and a gasp escaped his throat.

"What's it going to be, colonel? Are you going to close the wound…or should I?" She moved behind the bed and help up a blow torch where Face couldn't see.

"I'll do it," Hannibal said. "Give me the knife."

Face looked at Hannibal with betrayal in his tear filled eyes. He turned his head back to the ceiling and focused on the light fixture above. He doubted the pain of his skin being melded together could be worse than the pain of the man he considered a father turning against him.

Hannibal thought he might pass out from the smell of burning flesh and the animalistic sounds coming from Face's throat.

Once it was over he dropped the scalpel and quickly turned and vomited.

Face was still awake, but all he could hear was the sound of his pounding heart in his ears. His arm was on fire and the room was spinning. He wished somebody would just knock him out already, but it wasn't to be.

But Sue was just getting started. She started to pull on Face's chains until he was turned around onto his stomach. "Let's have some fun with the other side."

Face screamed as his abused midsection made contact with the bed and added to the fire in his shoulder, not to speak of the reawaked fire in his back. Maggie gasped as she got the first look at Face's back that was covered in angry welts from the cane.

"Colonel, look at those swollen welts, my lover is suffering. Pick up the scalpel and cut them open to release the pressure."

The look that crossed Hannibal's face spoke of sheer horror. He had no response to that and just remained silent and frozen in his position.

It was all too much for Face who had his face towards Sue and away from Hannibal. The physical pain, the knowledge that he had failed badly in his job, the betrayal by Hannibal (although he knew he deserved some punishment for getting Maggie in trouble he saw that Hannibal should not have hurt him that much) and now he didn't even defend him again but just did what was asked of him in silence. He couldn't even tell whether or not he had started cutting his back or if he was done already, all he felt was pain. His body began to tremble and he couldn't hold in the single sob that escaped.

"What is it love? Pain of anticipation?"

"What do you want from me? You got what you wanted, my colonel turned against me, the man who stood by me. You destroyed my team, I'm alone now, all yours." The words started out as a sob and turned into a whisper at the end. Face sounded so defeated, none of his friends had ever heard him that way before.

The team was shocked into silence but Sue leaped at the opportunity. She stepped forward and raised a scalpel in the hand that was now out of Face's vision. She motioned to the others that she would cut Face if they interfered.

"They all left you honey, no one's helping you but me, I'm here for you. I love you, you know I do. I'll make sure they don't hurt you again." Face was too weak to say anything again. His eyes drifted shut as blackness claimed him.

It had not been Sue's intention to turn the others against him, or make him believe so, but she couldn't pass on the opportunity. Now all se had to do was make him believe that the Holmes' also turned against him and he would be hers… forever.

"We'll take a little trip gentlemen, Sullivan." She shackled everybody's feet and hands together to limit their moves. Then she undid Maggie and pressed a gun to her temple. Maggie was then forced to unshackle the others and they moved to the basement leaving the unconscious Face alone.

"Oh kid I'm so sorry." Hannibal reached out to touch Face's body, he didn't care about Sue's earlier threat to cut him, she was too busy watching over the group and any change would have given them an opening to break free, but before he could touch Sue pulled on his bonds.

"Move it colonel, you had your chance, now he's mine." Hannibal looked at her and saw the total craziness in her eyes. She was unpredictable and she was good, that's what made her so dangerous.

* * *

><p>In the basement Hank heard steps coming their way and quickly got away from the shelf. It was still together but just barely, he had removed all possible screws without bringing the shelf down and had just wanted to start taking it apart.<p>

"Hello there, I hope you all enjoyed your stay, it's time for a change of sceneries."

"You monster, you'll one day pay for your sins."

"Are you threatening me old woman?"

"Watch your mouth!"

"Oh, how sweet, James to the rescue. Sullivan, there are some empty rings and chains here, fix your friends the way I did to the others then undo the old couple and Mary." Maggie had no chance but to do as told if she didn't want to risk the life of any of them.

"Let's go. Sullivan, you join us, we may need a doctor."

Sue led her new audience up and into the kitchen. "Here's the deal…you stay absolutely silent unless directly spoken to by name by me. And here are your lines when I do…" One by one she told them what to say and what expression to keep on their faces. "And if you so much as add a syllable, I will cut off one of his fingers for each transgression. The reason for our dear doctor coming along."

Face woke as Sue was just about done chaining Maggie up closest to him, while the Holmes' were already in their bonds. "Ella…James," he said softly. But they just stared through him, not even acknowledging his presence.

Sue smiled smugly; she had at first considered forcing them to inflict some sort of pain on Face. But Ella and James were too old to truly be effective. 'And the strain might be too much for their aging tickers,' she thought.

And then there was Mary. Mary was very pretty…she didn't want her too close to her man. The only reason she had her old roommate come up with them was that if her parents got out of line, a knife to their daughter's throat would make them move right back into it.

"Nice to see those beautiful blue eyes awake, lover. I brought some friends of yours." Sue put on a perplexed expression. "Funny, however, they don't seem all so fond of you anymore. Let's put on a show for them and see how they react…doesn't that sound like fun…James?"

James knew his line, but it still took him a moment to convince himself to actually say it. But then Sue held up a finger as a reminder of what she would do if he didn't comply was enough. "I don't care what you do with him…he's caused us nothing but trouble."

"What do you say, Ella?"

"He's a no good, screw-up. He deserves to pay…make him suffer." Ella felt a piece of her heart die with those scripted words even though she was being backed into a corner she thought, 'I'll never forgive myself.'

Face's heart sank and he looked at James and Ella hoping for some sort of sign that Sue was forcing them to say those harsh words. But their eyes showed no signs of warmth and they looked deadly serious.

Sue decided to focus her attention on the areas that would make Face squirm the most…from the pain as much as from the embarrassment. She straddled Face on the bed making sure their crotches made contact. Leaning forward she began to rub against his chest with her breasts. "Like this, baby?"

Face said nothing.

"Don't be shy." Sue began grinding against him slowly and gradually built up the speed and intensity until she had to stop or risk orgasm in front of the group. Difficult as it was, she forced herself off of Face and turned to the group. "Do you want your boy back now, Ella and James?"

'Yes, please,' James thought. "No," he replied.

"Never again," Ella added. 'Never again will you see the light of day when they catch you.'

"Nobody wants you…I'm all you have left." Sue moved her lips so they were only centimeters away from his ear and whispered, "and I want you…I want you bad…I'll never let you go," Sue stood back up and started stroking Face's hair. "I think you and I need some time alone…let me get rid of our guests and I'll be right back."

Sue brought the quartet back down to the basement in a single filed line. She held a gun to Ella's head while Maggie locked up James and Mary next to the three A-Team members. She then pointed the gun at Maggie while she secured Ella and then took care of the doctor herself.

"Look what we have here! Call me Snow White…and you're my Seven Dwarfs," Sue clucked.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall…whose the looniest of them all," Murdock sang.

"Make your jokes," she said checking them over one by one to make sure they weren't going anywhere. "Let's see how much you're laughing when in a few short minutes you hear your friend scream like he never has before."

When she turned she noticed the shelf was hanging a bit to the side. On closer inspection she saw the missing screws. "Ts ts what do we have here? I'm nice to you and leave you a lot of food and water and what do you do? Demolish my furniture."

"Ain't none of this yours."

"Formalities."

The shelf was loose enough now to come off the wall with a few hard tugs. Sue threw its contents to the floor and dragged it well out of their reach.

* * *

><p>Face's heart raced at the sight of Sue emerging from the doorway clad in skin tight scrubs. "This is gonna hurt, love, but it's only because I love you that I have to go to such lengths to make you understand."<p>

Face stared at the object in her hands and much as he wanted to be strong, he begged, "Please, Sue…don't…please."

"I'm sorry, Templeton…but sometimes love hurts. Hopefully this will be the last operation you need."

She stood over him and started to wipe some patch of his arm with antiseptics. She had fixed his arms to his side for the procedure. "You love me don't you? I know you do. I'm all you have and I do love you with all my heart. Now all I need to do is to fix your love forever. That's why I brought the screws, the drill and the wire."

"No, please, no more screws, please."

"Oh, my poor baby, I love you so much, believe me, this is going to hurt me as much as it's going to hurt you. But it has to be, I need to fix your love for me before you lose it."

"No, don't, please….please stop."

"I'll make an incision in your forearm and spread it open. Then I'll dig down to the bone and thrill two holes in it, one symbolizing you and one me. Then I'll connect the two holes with wires as a symbol of our bond that will hold forever. Then I'll close the holes with a screw each. It will be tight fit because of the wire but it will be okay."

Face was feeling sick from just listening to her plans. He had always thought Murdock was weird but this was pure craziness.

Sue noticed how aroused she was from his begging and the fear in his eyes. A thought crossed her mind as she laid out the tools beside him. "On the other hand, if you would admit that you love me and want me to take you right here and now then I could test how strong your love for me is and maybe, just maybe, it won't need to be fixed that much."

She was truly crazy. Now she wanted him to ask for the rape. He had sworn to himself a long time ago that no matter what he would not give in, he would always fight and he surely wouldn't agree or even ask for a rape. One the other hand, what was another rape added to the long list? It would save him from the drill and screws and it wasn't like she could do anything to him that had not been done before. Besides, maybe she would remove his chains or he could find another way out. He needed to free the team, he owed them that much, and he had dragged innocent civilians in this mess that needed rescue. James and Ella didn't want to have anything doing with him again and he couldn't blame them. They had witnessed how Sue had ground her body on his, had seen how dirty he was. Agreeing to her rape was only admitting the truth to himself, that he was dirty and useless. The fact that he even considered taking a rape over torture spoke volumes of that. No clean and proud person would have such thoughts, only screw ups like him.

Sue saw the internal battle going on and gave him time to decide but eventually she grew tired of waiting. "What's it gonna be love?"

"I…I…" he had to swallow hard before he was able to bring the disgusting words out. "I want you."

"That wasn't too hard, was it?" She eagerly removed her clothes and then pulled down his boxers just far enough to reveal his private parts.

"I can see something else that isn't hard. Let me get our little toy you react so well too."

Face felt empty and disgusted at himself. He had finally lost the last bit of dignity he had kept over all those years. He even shifted his body for her to place the electric stimulant. It took forever and even afterwards he still heard her moans of pleasure in his head. He doubted the sounds would ever leave his ears. At least he had been able to use her ecstasy to palm the wire and some screws that were laid out close to his hands without her noticing.

Sue collapsed beside him totally spent. "That was amazing love, how I've been waiting for you. Masturbation isn't half as satisfying. Now we're going to make a little trip. I'll take you home lover."

She left and reappeared with some clothes for Face that she helped him dress in. Then she brought Ella, James and Mary from the basement. They had been instructed to not even look at Face or he would suffer the consequences.

Ella and James were put in charge of holding Face upright and guiding him outside to the van. Face couldn't assist them much, the burns on the soles of his feet were turning every step into an ordeal. He kept his hands in fists. To the others it looked like it was a pain reaction but Face was just concealing the items in his hand.

Soon he was settled in a makeshift bed at the floor of the van with his head towards the driver while the others sat at the very back. They approached the hut too fast for his liking. He was once again shackled to the bed while Ella, James and Mary had been let through that door Sue had vanished through before.

"Love, I didn't plan for so many visitors. I'll go to town and do some shopping."

Now it was time for the final part of his act. "No please, don't leave me alone."

"Hush, dear, I'll be back in no time."

"No, don't leave me with them, they don't like me. Why didn't the others come along, Hannibal and BA and Murdock."

"Oh love, I'm so sorry. Only those three were willing to come. I'm afraid they're all glad to be rid of you."

"Can't you…at least loosen the bonds on my legs so I can kick out if they come near me?"

"If that makes you feel better." She gave quite some length to the chains at his ankles. "And now close your eyes and rest. I'll be back in the evening."

He waited some minutes after he heard the car driving off and then got to work on his bonds with the screws and wire.

What should have taken him only minutes, took close to an hour. His hands were shaking so bad from lack of food and total exhaustion, not to mention the searing pain from his still mending broken arm and various other fresh injuries

By the time he was free of his restraints it took another fifteen minutes to get on his feet. He shuffled over to the wall and used it for support as he inched his way toward where the Holmes' were.

Ella, James, and Mary saw a dripping with sweat and breathing hard Face appear before them and were stunned speechless.

But Face took their reactions as indifference and it was one more confirmation that what Sue had said was true. And even as they started talking to him, he was so concentrated on the task at hand that he wasn't paying much attention.

"Face, are you okay?" Mary asked as his trembling form knelt before her. The wild yet haunted look in his eyes filled her with fear, and she looked to James.

"Face, can you hear me?" James tried.

Face just kept staring down at his fingers and willing them to work faster.

"Son…" James said louder.

Face froze, looked up and said in a desolate tone, "I'm nobody's son," before going right back to picking the locks.

Mary watched as her parents kept attempting to break through to the man they had grown so fond of to no avail. She knew they were trying to provide him some comfort and to make up for what they had said before, but it was obvious that the damage had been done.

One by one he got them free, and as the last latch opened he breathed a heavy sigh and sat down hard on the ground. Ella and James instinctively moved toward him but he held up a hand and said, "don't."

"But…"

Face's voice was firm and still strangely devoid of emotion. "No…you need to go. Get outside…wait for her to come back. Get in her car and go free the others."

Ella shook her head furiously. "Not without you…you can't stay here."

"Not leaving until I know she can't touch me ever again."

James again tried to step closer. "Let us help you."

"No. As you said, I caused you enough trouble." Face wasn't accusatory, he sounded as if he was just stating a fact. "Please…go…now." Nobody moved. "If you ever cared for me at all, you'll go."

"Mom…Dad," Mary said softly so Face couldn't hear. "Let's do as he says. If we can get home we can bring some help to him."

Reluctantly, the trio made their way out the door and hid behind some dense bushes to wait. It was already starting to get dark and they prayed it wouldn't be long until Sue would return and they could free Hannibal and the others.

Face began the slow process of making his way back to the other room and onto his bed. Just the sight of it made him weak in the knees and he fell to the floor and crawled the rest of the way. He positioned himself just as she left him without securing the locks. He barely had a chance to catch his breath when he heard the sound of a car pulling up.

'Show time,' he thought.

As Sue entered the room he forced a smile onto his face and turned on the charm. He knew he had to distract her as much as possible to allow the Holmes' to drive off without her noticing. "Darling, I thought you'd never come back. I've been so lonely without you." He grated his hips ignoring the pain through his abdominal region and said breathily, "I want you…and I want you now."

Sue dropped the bags she was holding right at her sides. "Oh, Templeton! I knew you'd see the light." She scurried over to the bed, kicked off her shoes and climbed on top of him. "Take me baby…take me!"

Face snapped as she reached underneath herself to remove his boxers. He whipped his arms out of their loose bonds and wrapped his hands around Sue's neck. Squeezing tightly he flipped his body on top of hers using every ounce of energy he had left. Looking her straight in the eye he spat slowly and deliberately, "the only place I'll ever take you is straight to hell if you ever lay a hand on me again you sick…evil…demented…psychotic…bitch."

Sue's eyes were bulging, her face red, and she was struggling with all she had. But the weight of his body and the deep hatred he felt toward the woman helped Face hold on tight. He waited until she was just about at the point of passing out before releasing his grip. He quickly locked her up in the same way she had done to him all too many times before and gagged her so as not to have to hear her voice anymore.

Face fell off the bed and onto the floor where he lay on his back in a daze…unmoving and unfeeling.

Pain came crashing down upon him all at once as the adrenaline left his body.

He could barely breathe it hurt so bad, let alone move. But he had to get out of that awful place…and away from the woman who had repeatedly brutalized, tortured and raped him.

Face slid his body across the room until he made it over to the table that Sue referred to as the operating room. Pulling himself slowly upward he leaned heavily against it trying to ignore the dried blood splatters. He took a few moments to breathe before lurching toward the door and making his way out into the night.

He stopped just outside the hut and leaned his abused back against a tree to rest. But before he could start up again his legs buckled and he slid downward. He wasn't going to go anywhere on his own accord and he felt himself slipping away.

He had nowhere to go…nobody to go to…and nothing left to go with.


	30. Chapter 30

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 30

"BA, come on big guy, it's just two screws in a wooden pillar, you should be able to get it out. You need more training, something like this is the kind of thing you used to do for warm up."

"Shut up fool." BA ground out between clenched teeth. He was straining to pull the ring his chain was looped through from the pillar it was fixed to but to no avail. It wouldn't budge. Sue had used good material and fixed it well. They had no means to get to the remnants of the shelf and nothing to pick the locks on their chains with. All they had were two screws Hank still had in his hand but it was of no use to them. Murdock's banter was driving BA to try even harder than before and the next thing they heard was a 'pop' followed by a cry of pain.

"BA?"

"Damn, I popped out my shoulder."

Hannibal moved over to him. "Okay, on the count of three… one, two, " Hannibal pulled hard and the shoulder popped back inside.

"Arghhh."

"John, I'm the doctor here."

"Yeah, and chained to the other end of the room."

"I could have given you instructions."

"I know what to do, had enough practice."

"Could you two love birds fight later? We gotta help Face. Hannibal, make some plan."

"The plan is ready: kill that bitch slow and painful, the problem is getting out of here."

BA already strained against his bonds again, his face a mask of pain.

"BA, leave it, this is not getting us anywhere, you're only hurting yourself more."

"I can't just sit here and wait while this nut is cutting the Faceman into pieces."

"It won't help him if you hurt yourself. We just have to wait for our opportunity."

"That plan stinks man, keep thinking. Did you see the way she was turned on by his pain? If she steers memories of the camps I'm gonna kill her again after you're done."

"I'm only happy she didn't touch him but left the room to take care of her lust."

* * *

><p>"Dad, are you sure you know where we are?"<p>

"In a forest."

"Shouldn't we be close to Bad Rock by now?"

"Mary, I'm doing my best here. It's dark and this forest paths look one like the other. Honestly, I have no idea where we are, I'm just trying to head east but with the number of dead ends we encountered and had to turn around I'm really not sure where we are."

"I only hope Templeton was able to overpower her. We shouldn't have left him alone."

"I know Ella, but he was right. She would have noticed him missing from the room and then none of us would have been able to get away. She's too good for the three of us to take on and Templeton was too weak to be of much help. Rolling down that hill before starting the engine while he distracted her was ideal. I really wish we were out of that darn forest already and able to get him help."

* * *

><p>Face woke up in darkness. He couldn't tell how long he had been out. All he knew was that he was cold and hurt all over. He was wearing nothing but boxers. Sue had told him that she had clothes for him but he didn't know where and he wasn't about to go back into that hut. Nothing would ever make him go back into that hell.<p>

He needed water. Sue had been carrying buckets inside and taken them into that other room. There must be water close, maybe a river or a lake. He also needed to get away from the hut, not only because his tormentor was still inside and it sent shivers up and down his spine to just think of it, but also because of who might come to get her. He didn't know how long ago they left but the Holmes' should be home by now judging by the darkness. They would have freed the team, Maggie and Hank. Sue said they didn't want to come along. He hoped that was a lie but chances were it wasn't…Hannibal had really been pissed this time. He had screwed up before but maybe this time was once too much. If they really wouldn't come for him then the police would come here sooner or later and he was still a fugitive. Even if Hank had been friendly that might have changed, after all he had dragged him into this mess too.

Face started to calculate. It was about 2.5 hours drive to Bad Rock. From what he had seen on the map this forest was huge and Bad Rock was the next town. A fit and healthy person would use maybe a day or more to walk the distance. In his condition maybe a week, but what would he do when he reached Bad Rock? Chances were big he would never make it that far.

He tried crawling but his arm hurt too much. He pushed himself up on a tree and tried walking but it was rather sliding from tree to tree. The burns on his feet hurt like hell and he was barely strong enough to hold himself upright, let alone walk. He made it just a few more meters into the forest before he collapsed in a heap.

* * *

><p>"Shh, I can hear a car."<p>

"I can't hear anything Mags."

"Shh, keep quiet Hank."

They all listened and heard a car pull up to the house.

"Murdock?"

"Sounds like her car colonel, she's coming back."

"Okay, get ready like planed, we have to lure her far enough into the room."

They heard the fast approaching steps of a young woman and got ready to put their plan in action. With luck, lots of it actually, they would lure her inside enough to grab her. They heard the key turning and then the door was pushed open.

"Mary!"

"Maggie, are you alright?"

"What happened?"

"Templeton got us a distraction to get away with her car; Mom and Dad are outside looking for a cutter for your chains. We got lost in the forest and lost lots of time, we used about seven hours to get here. We gotta help him."

Ella and James appeared both with a bolt cutter and soon everyone was free.

"Who was driving?"

"Me"

"Alright James, can you lead the way?"

"Only to a point. We got lost and everything looks the same in this forest when it's dark."

"Let's go up to the point you're confident then we wait for dawn if we can't find a trail to follow with flashlights."

They used the team's van and Hank's car. It was slow going but at least they found a trail to follow, hoping it wasn't the scenic route that James had taken. Despite the earlier plan to stop and wait for dawn they went on, stopping every so often to get out and study the trail. It took them another four hours to get back to the hut and the light was just coming on when they reached their destination. They found Sue bound and gagged at the bed glaring daggers at them, but no clue as to where Face was.

"Move out, everybody in a different direction, we gotta find him."

It wasn't long before Murdock shouted "over here."

Maggie was the first to reach him.

"He has a pulse but he's so cold and not moving." Murdock was removing his jacket to cover Face's still form.

"Give me some room to look at him Murdock."Maggie quickly checked his vitals and by the time she was done they were surrounded by the whole group.

"We need to warm him up and fast and he needs fluids. Carry him back into the hut. I saw a bathtub in the other room and buckets. Murdock run ahead and start a fire, we need to warm that water and some IV bags."

BA scooped up Face and held him as close as possible to give him some body warmth. He had never felt a human being that was so cold. Hannibal removed his jacket too and used it to cover Face's legs while Murdock's was covering his torso.

Maggie had taken over command. "Hank, John…get that…that…beast off the bed and place Face on it. Strip to your boxers and cuddle up to him on either side to give some warmth while the water and IV solution is heating.

Sue was unceremoniously tossed to the floor. "At least you did something good for once by keeping the bed warm." Maggie looked at her with disgust before turning back to her patient.

"His temperature is critical; we need to get him warm." Hank and Hannibal were by his side and Maggie covered the trio with blankets.

The rest of the group was busy in the other room. It was supposed to be the bathroom but never had been completed. The tub was filled with building materials and they had to clean it out. Heating the water was slow going.

Face regained some state of consciousness. He opened his eyes and saw he was back in the hut. "No…please," he moaned. "No more…no more."

"Face…it's Hannibal. You're okay. She can't hurt you anymore."

"Han…bal?" Face asked blinking his eyes rapidly to clear his vision.

"Yeah, kid. I'm here."

Face's teeth were chattering and his body shaking between the two men. "W…w…why?"

"Oh, Face. She forced us all to do those things to you…we would never hurt you on purpose."

Hank felt uncomfortable lying there with the two men and quietly slipped away. He decided it was best for all involved to get Sue out of the house and locked securely around a big tree until the back-up he called arrived to transport her to jail.

Hanks departure allowed Hannibal to pull his lieutenant in closer. Face tensed and pulled away from the arms. "Don't…don't touch me. You…you…don't need…a screw up…on team.

"You aren't a screw-up, Face. You didn't do anything wrong."

Face started rocking slightly while lying on his side turned away from Hannibal. "My fault…my fault…my fault."

Ella and James came into the room and approached the bed. One look at the crestfallen Hannibal told them all they needed to know.

"The bath is ready," Ella said.

"Face, we need to warm you up some more. Let James and I help you into the bathroom," Hannibal said gently.

"No…don't…need any…help. Leave me…alone…all of…you," Face said to the wall.

By this time the rest of the group had joined Ella and James and heard the desperation in Face's voice.

Face felt the eyes upon him and slowly rolled onto his back trying to keep the pain from showing. He glanced at his audience and then chose to study the ceiling instead. He felt naked even though he was covered in blankets and wanted nothing more than to disappear. But since that wasn't an option he decided to try and make the others vanish instead. "Go…go away. I took…care of a psychopath…I think I can…manage to…take care of…myself."

Face's breathing was ragged and his skin had a gray cast to it. They all knew that Face was in no position to do much more than lay there. But it was also clear from how he had been able to escape from Sue that he was capable of amazing feats when he put his mind to it. The question was when would his body have no choice but to give in to his mind…and give into their help.

Maggie thought maybe if she came at Face from a medical perspective he might listen. "Face, you were close to hypothermic when we brought you in and from the looks of it your body temp is still too low. Please let us get you into the tub and warm you up. And then I can see about your injuries."

"My injuries?" Face asked sounding confused. At the moment he was feeling oddly numb.

"You're kinda beat up, Facey," Murdock replied. "You need to let the doc tend to you."

"No…what I need…is for…you to all…leave. Just want…to…to…be alone." But he did feel dirty both inside and out and the thought of a bath was appealing.

Hank walked back in the front door and over to Hannibal. "Transport is here. I have three men to make sure there are no chances for escape."

Hannibal nodded. "Listen, Hank. Can you take the Holmes' back with you in another vehicle?"

"Yeah, but…"

Hannibal cut the sheriff off. "They need to get some rest…and Face needs some time to…well…"

It was Hanks turn to interrupt. "No need to explain. Take care of your men and I'll make sure everything else is handled from my end."

Ella, James and Mary reluctantly left with Hank while Face continued to shiver mercilessly.

"I…I'm…gonna take…that bath," Face announced straining to sit up. Four bodies stepped forward to help but Face sternly said, "no," and they froze in place. He swayed as he struggled to his feet keeping the blankets tightly wrapped around his battered torso. It took a few moments for the room to remain still enough for him to begin moving and slowly make his way to the bathroom.

Once inside Face shut the door behind him and let the blankets fall to the ground alongside the mask of strength he had been wearing. He inched toward the edge of the tub, sat slowly and eased his way down into the warm water, hissing as the heat assaulted his many wounds.

Face sat there and as the water warmed him up the tears began to flow uncontrollably.

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. all paced outside the door while Maggie stood nervously watching. A strange noise started coming from inside the bathroom and made them all stand still and listen. There was no mistaking the awful sound of Face sobbing. Hannibal sat down with his head resting against the door just in case he was needed.

Face cried until the tears just wouldn't come anymore. His first attempt at getting out of the tub made his head swim and sent stabs of sharp pain throughout his body. The dizziness was increasing by the moment and he knew he needed help or he would pass out in the water.

"Hey…Hannibal…you there?" Face called out as loudly as he could.

"Yeah, kid…I'm right here."

"I…I'm not…feeling so good. I…think…I'm gonna…"

Hannibal was inside the door in a flash. Face was in the water up to his chin. It was obviously a struggle for him to remain that way and not sink deeper. The grey touch to his skin was gone and replaced with green.

"I'm gonna get BA to help lifting you out of the tub. Okay?"

"Face didn't respond. He was busy fighting the nausea and dizziness that had built up."

"B…"

"I'm here man." BA had heard Hannibal talking and had been ready by the door. Together they heaved Face, who had no energy left to assist them, out of the tub. Hannibal wrapped him in some towels from the van while BA held him up. Being upright did him good and the nausea slowly diminished. As it went the thirst came back.

"Water…need water."

"Okay, let's just get you back to the bed and then you can drink." Hannibal made to move towards the main room of the hut.

"No…not going back there."

"Face, you need to lie down for Maggie to check you over and start the IV. We need to get some fluids into you before we go away from here."

"No…not going back…drink."

Maggie appeared with a canteen of warm water in her hand. "Here, drink this but not too fast."

Face eagerly grabbed for the canteen and started to drink. Some of the water tickled down his chin in his haste. "Slow down, there's more for you if you want, just go slow."

When the canteen was empty Maggie reached for it but Face was reluctant to let go. "Let me refill it for you, okay? In the mean time Hannibal and BA can help you out to the van. I made a makeshift bed for you to lie down."

"Out?"

"Yes, outside"

Hannibal again tried to move Face towards the door but Face wasn't moving. "Come on, you want out of here you need to get through the other room and to the door." But Face pulled back, eyeing the bed and the table with the restraints wearily.

"Come here man, I got ya." BA just scooped the smaller man up in his arms, making sure his face was directed to his chest so he wouldn't have to look at the room while they walked through.

With a stab Hannibal realized that although Face had called out for him it was more out of habit. He didn't trust him enough to get him through that room in one piece. He preferred to trust BA and it hurt Hannibal.

When Face was laying down in the van and Maggie was hovering over him Hannibal noticed Murdock was gone.

"B.A., have you seen Murdock?"

"Nah, man. I ain't seen him since we pulled Faceman from the tub."

"Stay with Face…I'm going to go look for him."

B.A. wanted anything but to stay and listen to Face's small moans as Maggie examined his injuries. However, he had seen the way Face seemed reluctant to interact with Hannibal and figured it might be for the best if there was some distance between the men.

"B.A.," Maggie called out. "I need you here."

"What's up, Maggie?

"Face is shaking so badly that I can't seem to get this IV started. Can you hold his arm still?"

B.A. took hold of the arm and locked eyes with him briefly before Face looked away quickly. He wanted to say something, but what could he possibly say to make things better?

Maggie hung the bag of fluid on a clothes hook and said, "done…you can let go now. Thanks." She saw B.A. wince slightly as he pulled his arm away and asked, "You okay, B.A.?" When he looked confused she pointed to his arm.

"Oh…it ain't nothin'. Just my shoulder achin' a bit."

Face turned his head slowly back to look at B.A. "What…what happened?" It was better to think of somebody else than himself at the moment.

"I popped my shoulder outta place tryin' to escape so we could get to you man."

"I know Hannibal put it back in," Maggie added, "but I'll x-ray it when we get back just in case."

Face looked genuinely surprised. "You…you did that…for me?"

B.A. nodded emphatically. "I would have torn my arm off if Hannibal didn't make me stop."

"Oh," Face said taking B.A.'s words to mean that Hannibal didn't want to rescue him. "I'm sorry…you got hurt…'cause of me."

"Don't be sorry…I'm just sorry we wasn't here for ya." B.A. saw that Face's eyelids were growing heavy. "Just shut your eyes, Faceman. We all with you now."

The last thing Face remembered thinking before drifting off was, 'Then where are Hannibal and Murdock?'


	31. Chapter 31

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 31

Hannibal found Murdock sitting cross-legged on the floor of the hut holding his head in his hands. There was an open book on the floor in front of him.

"Captain, you alright?"

Murdock looked up; his eyes were wide and red rimmed. "She…she…made a book. God…it's so awful."

Hannibal leaned over and picked up the scrapbook. In it were dozens of pictures of Face lying in the bed or on the table being tortured. There were also some pictures of the two of them lying in bed showing Sue touching him in a variety of places. "She must have had a camera on a timer to get these shots." Hannibal looked up and saw the camera perched on a shelf. "That sick…sadistic..." his voice trailed off as he turned back to the pages and saw a sight that took his breath away.

"Sweet Jesus," B.A. exclaimed from over Hannibal's shoulder. His teammates were too consumed by their thoughts to even notice him slipping in. "Tell me she isn't doing what I think she is?"

Hannibal nodded grimly. There were a series of pictures documenting Sue taking the muscle biopsies. The last one showed her lifting a bloody fork to her mouth.

It was Murdock's turn to run from the room and loose the battle with the contents of his stomach. Hannibal briefly considered following him but decided it best to pack up instead so they could all get out of this place as soon as possible.

BA was feeling sick too. He picked up the book and went over to the other room where Murdock had started the fire to heat the water.

"BA, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna go burn this shit."

"No, leave it. We'll take it along…."

"How can you want to take this thing along? Think the Faceman wants to keep a memory of his stay here? I don't think so man." BA had his hands on the door of the oven.

"No, don't burn it. We give it to Hank; it might help convict the bitch. It's not like Face or any of us could go and testify in front of a court. The pictures are proof enough along with kidnapping the Holmes', Hank and Maggie. I want to make sure this bitch never sees the light of day again."

BA contemplated that. "I don't think Face would like strangers to look at these pictures. He probably doesn't know this book exists."

"Right, but he would probably prefer strangers to look at this than Sue having another go at him. She's obsessed; she won't give up trying to get him. If we keep it for now we can still burn it later, when Face has had a chance to think things through and decide with a clear mind. Let's stash it somewhere in the van for now, out of sight."

"No wonder he's freaked out, lookin' at it is bad enough, just imagine livin' it." BA reluctantly got away from the oven and went out to the van. Hannibal gathered up their few belongings, removed the film from the camera and left the hut. He found Murdock, Maggie and BA sitting in the van in silence while watching over a sleeping Face.

"How is he?"

"Been better."

"I can see that BA. I wanted a doctor's opinion."

"He's weak, dehydrated and in pain… physical and mental pain. The whole episode did nothing to the healing of his old wounds. His navel needs proper cleaning in my clinic, with a local anesthetic. The welts on his back are painful but will heal with time. The cattle prod BA had to use left burns, the burns Murdock had to inflict are painful when he gets in touch with them, those on his feet will be a challenge, he won't be able to walk for a bit. But the worst must be the shoulder wound you were forced to inflict. The cut was deep, turning the scalpel around inside will have caused some damage and the burn must have hurt like hell. I'll check it properly in the clinic, with any luck I won't have to reopen it to clean it out but I need an ultra sound to find out. If I have to guess I would say he feels constant pain from this shoulder and probably for a while to come."

Hannibal stroked over Face's hair. He was so out of it he didn't stir. The wound he had to inflict was the most painful and in addition there seemed to be a lot of mental pain caused by him too. Face must know that Sue had forced him but he assumed the pain he had caused was too much for Face to take and his mind was telling him that Hannibal was dangerous for him. He hoped it would go as the pain went and put it aside for now, they had other things to concentrate on.

"Let's get away from here and remove all signs of Sue from the Holmes' home. I don't want him to encounter anything that reminds him of Sue."

But first they had to get the lieutenant the medical care he needed and that meant a trip to Maggie's clinic.

Face woke up almost half-way through the journey after B.A. hit a pothole causing the van and everybody in it to jump. He cried out at the pain that wracked his entire body. "Argh!"

"Sorry, man," B.A. apologized looking through his rearview mirror. "I'm sorry."

"You okay, Muchacho?" Murdock asked.

Maggie followed with, "Where does it hurt?"

And Hannibal said nothing.

Face felt overwhelmed by the sudden inundation of attention…and lack thereof by the person he craved it from most. Coupled with how sick he was feeling, it sparked rage within him unlike he had felt in a long time.

"So now you're sorry…and now you care! Where were you all when I needed you?" Face fumed.

"Try to calm down, Face…you're going to hurt yourself," Maggie said gently.

Face scoffed. "I'm going to hurt myself…how the hell can I possibly make it worse than it is now?"

"Face, we know you're hurting, buddy…"

"Murdock…you're too crazy to know much of anything." Face knew it was a low blow, and he didn't mean it…but his head was swimming and it just came out. "And none of you have any clue about how I'm feeling."

Murdock backed away from Face and leaned against the van's wall. "I'm sorry, Facey…I didn't mean it like that."

Face felt his anger rising. "Did you mean it when you burned up my nipples?" Face turned to B.A. with fire in his eyes. "Or when you electrocuted my dick?"

"Hey, Faceman…we had no choice. It was that or let her make it worse on you."

In his head Face knew B.A. was right, but in his heart he was hurting so badly that he needed to lash out at anything in his sight. "Make it worse on me! She ate my damn mus…," he started to say but stopped not wanting them to know and not wanting to say it out loud. "She hurt me…and you watched…and then you joined in on the fun."

Hannibal turned around in his seat suddenly. "Fun? How could you think that was fun for us, Face?"

Face glared at his colonel. "Because you enjoyed it…hell…you asked to burn me with that knife." Face closed his eyes as pain flared through his shoulder as a reminder. He felt dizzy and the nausea was increasing.

"Face, you know that isn't true…"

"I don't…know…anything…anymore," Face gasped out, his energy waning. Along with his energy, his anger was fading as well. "I thought I knew you…but I was wrong."

Nobody spoke the rest of the way to Bad Rock. Face had drifted in and out of consciousness and it wasn't until B.A. started to pick him up out of the van that his eyes opened.

"Stop…please," Face moaned.

B.A. removed his arms and took a step away from the van.

"I…I…need to say something," Face said in a quivering voice. "I'm…sorry. I…I…don't…I can't…I…" He covered his face with a trembling hand trying to cover up his tears. "I…just…I…was so scared. It hurts…so…bad."

Murdock stepped forward and took hold of that hand and wiped Face's tears with his other one. "Face…it's okay. We understand. Let us get you inside so Maggie can help you feel better, okay?"

"Okay," Face agreed. But as B.A. carried him into the house he noticed Hannibal wasn't following the group.

Face lay on the table and looked at Murdock but he didn't return the look, he turned around and left the room as soon as Face was settled. He couldn't find a comfortable spot. Everything hurt. He couldn't lay on his back because of the marks the cane had left, he couldn't lay on his stomach because the area around his navel hurt too much. He couldn't lay on his left side because of the broken arm and he couldn't lay on his right side because of his throbbing shoulder. He settled for his left side with the broken arm awkwardly spread away in front of him. He was plain miserable and wanted nothing more than for the pain to stop.

He felt naked and exposed, well, he practically was naked, clad in only his boxers. The blanket he had been wrapped up in had been removed before he was placed on the table and Maggie had replaced it with a thin sheet that was draped loosely over his body and, in his opinion, didn't count as cover and surely didn't provide as much warmth as the previous blanket. Face was still shivering. He looked over to BA who stood back from the table watching Maggie preparing things. It looked like it was only a matter of minutes until he would leave the room to and join the others.

"BA, I placed some towels on the heater in the bathroom. They should be warm by now, go get them and cover Face in them."

So Maggie ordered him to stay and help, at least he would get to spend some more time with the big guy before they would surely leave him.

BA returned with the warm towels and gently covered Face in them. It felt so good to be treated gently and feel the warmth.

"Okay, Face, all set. I'm going to start at your feet. The burns have left wounds and your walking around hasn't helped. I'll clean the wounds, apply some cream to help with the burns and then bandage them up."

Face felt embarrassed at even this, after all he had been walking round barefoot and his feet sure were dirty. He was glad he didn't face Maggie when she started to clean his whole feet before tending to the burns. He didn't feel much pain in his feet. The rest of his injuries took up all his energy. But he sure felt it when Maggie started to clean the wounds with an antiseptic solution.

"Oww, sorry." He had meant to hold back all moans but the pain had interrupted his thoughts, he hadn't focused on keeping everything in.

"What you sorry for man, you don't have to hold back."

Did BA really mean it? Sounded like it. Maybe he wasn't angry at him for getting Maggie in trouble. He had stayed after all while all the others had gone. He didn't have time to keep thinking as Maggie demanded his attention.

"Face, I can sedate you, you really don't need to feel all the pain again when I clean you."

"No" he needed to stay in control, he had had very little control in the last days and wasn't about to give it up if he could help it.

"What about a pain killer then? It will at least numb the pain."

'Yeah, and leave me with an awful reaction to it.' "Can….take…it."

"Oh Face," Maggie sighed loud, "alright, but I'll apply a numbing cream to all the places I can, and I won't take no as an answer to that, you won't have a reaction on the cream and you really don't need to feel more pain than necessary." 'At least I hope you won't show any reactions' she mentally added.

She finished with his feet and to his surprise the numbing cream did take some of the pain away.

"Your feet are done. Strict bed rest from now on, I don't want to see you standing on those feet until I allow you. Now let me apply the cream to the small burns left from the cattle prod and then tend to your back. I want to put the numbing cream on all the welts left by the cane so we can turn you on your back to treat the rest of your injuries."

She went over the burns left by the cattle prod first; they were mostly only red patches and quickly cared for. His back was covered in welts from mid thigh to his shoulders. Maggie spread the cream and the fire in his back died down to a mere ache. That was until Maggie reached for the waist band of his boxers.

"Wait, what…"

"Face, you were wearing the boxers but your behind got caned too. Would you feel better if BA applied the cream there?"

"I would feel better if you all just left me alone." Face was sick of the pain and sick of getting things done to him he didn't want. On the other hand he felt far better now that part of the pain had died down.

"Ain't gonna happen man, it's either Maggie or me."

"You." Face said in a quiet voice.

BA did the job and redressed Face before Maggie stepped close to the table again. As she replaced the empty IV bag with a fresh one she said, "We'll turn you to your back now to attend to your front. You drank a lot of water, do you need to ease yourself?"

Now that she said it, yeah, he needed to. "Yeah." He made to get up.

"Where do you think you're going? I said no standing on those feet. BA can assist you." She handed a urine bottle to BA. "And while he's at it he can check for the burn the cattle prod must have left to your private parts and apply the cream."

Face began to shake furiously as B.A. took hold of his privates and guided it into the bottle. He kept telling himself that it was just B.A., but it didn't stop the memories. He closed his eyes to hide the tears he felt welling up and tried to remain still as B.A. spread the ointment.

B.A. saw Face tense and grimace as his fingers made contact with the burn. "I'm sorry, man. Almost done."

Face hadn't expected the pain to be quite as severe and he was breathing hard by the time B.A. carefully pulled his boxers back up. But as the physical pain lessened, his emotions only seemed to intensify. There were so many thoughts and feelings swirling through his mind that it was making him sick. He saw Sue standing over him; Murdock avoiding him; Hannibal walking away. He felt the humiliation of being naked in front of his friends; of being so vulnerable and dependent on them; of having B.A. forced to touch him down there.

B.A. recognized the familiar signs. The accelerated breathing…the sickly color of his skin…the panic in his eyes as they quickly shot open. He reached for a bucket, called out for Maggie and helped roll him onto his side once more.

Maggie had been studying Face's navel wound from the outside when B.A. called her to attention. She took hold of the bucket from B.A. freeing the muscle bound man to focus on helping Face through heave after heave.

At one point B.A. looked over at Maggie with concern written all over his dark features.

"It's the trauma catching up with him," she said softly. "He'll be okay."

But B.A. doubted that would be true, even after Face's vomiting subsided and he lay back exhausted.

"Thanks," Face rasped. "Thanks…for staying…with me."

B.A. felt a surge of anger at Hannibal and Murdock but put a smile on his face and said, "Ain't nothin', Faceman. You just keep breathin'…I think Maggie's gonna tend to your belly now."

Maggie barely touched the inflamed area before Face let out a groan and broke out into a sweat from the severity of the pain.

"Face, hon, your navel is in a bad way. I'm going to have to probe deeply and possibly remove some tissue. Please let me sedate you?"

"No," Face began to protest out of habit, but then the idea of being awake while somebody cut into his skin once again made him think again. He was afraid of losing control but this was Maggie; Maggie wouldn't do anything to him that wasn't medically necessary. What he was most afraid of was for BA to leave too, for him to wake up all alone with the Team gone. But then he could not hold BA back if he wanted to go and he was still here and had even tended to him in a gentle way…not the rough type of care he knew from the nuns that didn't have time to treat injuries and made sure the kids felt that they were causing extra work. Maybe he would stay, and maybe, just maybe he would convince the other two to stay as well, for now anyway. And if they left, then he at least didn't need to witness it and was spared the pain from the surgery. "Um…okay. Tired…so tired…of pain."

Maggie and B.A. shared a relieved yet saddened glance at Face's words and the distraught tone in which they were delivered.

"Stay…stay with me…until I'm out?" He asked B.A. looking like a frightened child.

"You got it, man…I'm here for you."

Maggie set up all her supplies and injected the drug into Face's IV. Within ten minutes Face was out cold, while B.A. was burning hot.

"He gonna be okay, Maggie?"

"He'll be fine…physically at least. If I remove any signs of infection now and repair the damage, he should make a full recovery. His other injuries, though extremely painful, aren't life threatening."

"Nah…they'll just make him suffer for weeks instead."

Maggie nodded miserably. "I'll need less than an hour to complete the surgery. I'll come get you when I'm done."

"Thanks, doc." B.A. left the room and headed straight out the door. 'Maggie's gonna have a couple of more patients when I get through with their fool behinds.'

BA found Murdock and Hannibal standing together outside the house, Murdock talking to Hannibal from how it looked. BA didn't bother to find out about what as he stormed over to them.

"What you fools doin' out here?"

"Hannibal needed me."

"Hannibal needed you? I know you're the crazy of the team but this is weird, even for you. And you Hannibal, I thought you were the man with the plans."

"Face doesn't want us there, we did this to him. I did the worst and he's angry, and he has all right to be. I should have found a way out instead of going along with her."

"And your great idea was to throw yourself a pity party instead of being there for Face, now that you can. And you fool, went after Hannibal instead of stayin' with the Faceman. Think who might have needed you more, even you should be able to figure it out. I would love nothing more than stay and rip you two a new one but I gotta go stand in front of the door to be there for Face when Maggie is done with her surgery." With that BA turned and left. Without turning back to them he added, "Faceman's agreed to be sedated."

Maggie cleaned out Face's navel. It was deeply infected again and it took her a while to get everything out. She was glad the navel would conceal everything with time and there wouldn't be additional scars from her operation, at least no visible ones.

When she was done Face was still out of it. She had been out of Face's line of vision when BA had helped him earlier on but had kept watching her patient. She hadn't missed the way Face had tensed and screwed his eyes shut when BA had touched his penis to apply the cream. Now she was fighting an internal battle. She wanted to check how bad the prod had hurt Face but he had not given her the permit to do so. It was like doing him wrong but he might need some more help there than just the cream. But what if he woke up while she checked his private parts without his consent? On the other hand, as long as he was sedated he didn't need to go through the humiliation. The doctor in her won and she carefully lowered his boxers to reveal an angry looking burn from the middle of his shaft up to the lower part of his scrotum.

"Damn," she cursed. It appeared to have penetrated the top layers of skin and wasn't likely to have done any structural damage, but it had to be excruciating and would be for some time. She applied another layer of antiseptic cream and covered him back up."

She was hanging a new IV bag when she heard voices outside the window.

Murdock scrambled after B.A. "Surgery? Wait…what?"

B.A. didn't stop or turn.

Hannibal jogged after his men. "B.A., what's wrong?"

B.A.'s gold stopped jingling as he came to a halt and whipped around. "What you mean askin' me what's wrong? What's wrong is that you two have your heads too far up your asses to realize how much the Faceman need you…and how much he's hurtin'."

"We know he's hurting, B.A. We saw the scrapbook, remember."

B.A. shook his head disgustedly. "Yeah, he's hurtin' from what that psycho did to him, but he's hurtin' just as much from what you ain't doin' for him, colonel. You ain't there for him man, and he needs you…both of you."

Hannibal looked down at the ground knowing that B.A. was right. "When I asked what was wrong, I meant what was wrong with Face that he needed surgery."

"I shouldn't have to tell you that. You should know 'cause you shoulda been there." B.A. turned and started stomping back toward the house.

Murdock reached out for B.A.'s arm. "C'mon, B.A. We messed up, okay."

B.A. pulled away. "Yeah, you did. I'm goin' back in so I can be there when Face wakes up."

"Just tell us how bad it is?" Hannibal pleaded.

"He agreed to drugs…"

"That means it's bad," Murdock interrupted. He looked B.A. in the eye and said, "I'm truly sorry I wasn't there with you. I just kind of freaked out."

B.A. nodded his acceptance of Murdock's apology.

"What did Maggie say, big guy?"

"I ain't good with all the medical junk, but Maggie said she would have to cut him and dig out some bad stuff." B.A. looked to Hannibal expecting him to say something or make a move toward the house to be with Face, but got nothing.

That's when things got ugly.


	32. Chapter 32

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 32

Maggie sat by Face's side listening to the three men talk…and talk louder…and then yell. To her dismay Face began to moan and shift on the table. He was about to wake up…and the team wasn't going to be there for him. She briefly considered going to the door and yelling for them, but she had given Face just enough to have him out. He could come to any second and would be in pain, although she had administered a pain killer against his wish it was a mild one and wouldn't kill all the pain. He was still on the table without any bed rails and there was a risk he would fall down if he tried to curl up while not fully awake.

She had wanted to get BA to transfer Face to a bed while he was still out but found him gone from the room and now those three were arguing outside instead of being there for their friend. They were in deep trouble when she got her hands on them, but for now she had to stay with Face and hope they would come to their senses sooner rather than later. Even if she went to the door, she doubted they would hear her yell over their own yelling. She stood beside Face who was moaning and shifting more and more.

Face was in total blackness, he couldn't see anything. He only felt pain, lots of it. It seemed there wasn't a single spot on his body that didn't hurt. He lay there waiting for the next blow but it never came. Seems the VC had lost interest in him. They would soon shoot him then, or simply wait for him to die. He waited for what came next. Instead of feeling more pain he heard a voice. It got louder and more clear but he couldn't make out the words yet, it sounded gentle and friendly though and eased some of his fear and panic.

"Face, Face can you hear me? You've been in surgery, stay calm, don't move too much. You're safe, you can sleep some more. Just calm down and sleep."

As he became more aware he could make out some words. Maggie, that sounded like Maggie. Face's eyes flattered open and he looked at Maggie with relief in his eyes before he remembered what had happened and who had hurt him just recently. He looked around and they were gone, even BA. What he had feared had come true. They had left him while he was out, no goodbye, as usual.

Maggie saw his eyes turn from relief to pain to sadness to totally void of emotion. He just laid there without any more movement, frozen in the last position he had. As if the energy to complete the last shifting had vanished.

"Face, what is it?"

"Nothing."

"How do you feel?"

"Fine."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "I just cut your belly to pieces, I know for a fact that you're anything but fine. Come on Face, talk to me. I need to know what's going on."

"I…I'm alright, thanks Maggie."

"Oh man, I really don't know how your team can stand all your blocking them out."

A shadow crept over his features before the mask went back into place.

"Doesn't matter anymore." The words were just a whisper and Maggie didn't get all of it.

"What did you say, honey?"

"Nothing, not important."

Sensing that she wouldn't get it out of him she went on to the medical assessment while checking his vitals. "How does your belly feel? I had to go deep but hopefully I got everything removed."

"Hurts."

"You want me to give you some pain relief?"

"No." he was feeling sick as it was. 'The sedative,' he thought.

"How's the shoulder?"

"Hurts."

"I didn't have to go in but the ultrasound showed that the cut went down to the bone and there's quite some tissue damage that will take time to heal. How about the rest of you?"

"I'm fi…" her look made him stop before the word was out. "Hurts, but I'm okay….I'm always okay." The last part of the sentence was so quiet she had to strain to understand him.

"You're the quiet part of the team. You're right, you'll be okay eventually and until then I'm here for you. Only those other three that are yelling around outside won't be okay once I get my hands on them. Try to sleep some more, you need rest."

Yelling? Who was yelling? It was hard to concentrate, just like when he was taking heavy pain meds but he knew he hadn't taken anything. Yelling? He could hear something outside, some commotion? Was that his team? He couldn't tell for sure but he thought he could make out BA's voice. They were still around? But yelling at each other? BA had been gentle to him before, maybe he was speaking up for him, trying to keep the others around. Anyway, that wouldn't do anything good, even if they stayed now it would be due to yelling and threats from BA. How long was that supposed to last? He wanted to sleep but he hurt too much. Then a thought struck him.

"Maggie, I'm….I'm sorry. Sue…shouldn't have let her take my gun…got you in trouble…so sorry."

"Shh, not your fault Face, nothing to be sorry for. Just forget it and rest, okay?"

"You're….you're not mad?"

Maggie leaned forward and wiped some sweat from Face's furrowed brow; the pain was evident in his handsome features. "Of course not. I admire how incredibly strong and brave you are to have survived all of this. Nobody is mad at you."

"Then…then why…are they fighting?" The after effects of the sedative were kicking in while the pain medication was wearing off. This left Face feeling lightheaded and nauseous while his belly was on fire. It hurt just to breathe so he took shallow breaths which only increased the dizziness.

"I'm not sure what's going on, Face. They've been upset over what's happened to you…they probably just are letting off some steam."

"See…my…my…fault. Fighting…'cause of…me."

It was obvious that Face was suffering badly and Maggie was torn. 'Do I risk more pain medication when he is already turning green and anything more might do more harm than good?' The last thing he needed was to be throwing up constantly putting more strain on his healing wounds and leading to dehydration and therefore to being subjected to the IV for a longer period of time.

What he did need was the team…especially Hannibal.

"Face, none of this is your fault." Face was beginning to squirm from the discomfort. "You have to try and lie still."

"S…sor…ry. Try…trying."

"I know you are…you're doing real good." Thinking out loud she asked, "Maybe I should give you something stronger for the pain?"

"Please…no. Feel…sick…don't want…to make…worse."

Maggie knew what the problem was; Face needed to be in a hospital where they would be able to sedate him and provide pain medications without as much risk. There they had access to so many more drugs and much more technology than a simple country doctor. Maggie also knew that this wasn't an option, so she had to just do the very best she could with what she had.

Face was starting to writhe and moan despite his efforts not to. A sudden sharp pain hit him in the gut and he jerked his body aggressively.

Maggie watched in horror as Face's arm pulled the IV pole down on top of him and it landed directly on top of the surgical site.

The sound of his scream echoed throughout the room.

"ARGH!"

* * *

><p>Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. heard the scream from inside the house and it silenced them instantly.<p>

"Face," they said simultaneously.

They stopped arguing and started running.

Murdock was the first to reach Face's side. He was bucking wildly and Maggie had her hands full to keep him on the table. Murdock took hold of his shoulders and pressed him down to keep him from jerking around and Hannibal who was just a split second behind Murdock took hold of his legs. Face was still screaming. The initial pain that had attacked his gut had faded but the jerking and bucking had aggravated all his wounds, especially his belly and his shoulder and the pain was excruciating.

BA was just behind the others but saw they had Face under control. There wasn't really space for him at the table so he stayed back. He only stepped forward as Maggie asked him to take her part after they had all tried to calm him with words but to no avail.

Face saw a different scenario. The pain was clouding his mind, he couldn't think straight. He knew he was hurting and had to get away from the source of pain, but Hannibal, Murdock and Maggie kept him from moving. Maggie, but Maggie had said she wasn't mad. It was all just a lie, they were all mad and now they would make him suffer more. Their lips were moving but he couldn't hear anything. They weren't speaking to him then. Sue, it must be Sue, they were talking to her. She was here. He had to get away. Face bucked even more and then two large hands came out of nowhere and Maggie left. Sue, Sue had her hands on him, she would get into his line of vision soon. He saw movement and then Sue appeared, she had come back to hurt him and they let her, held him down for her. He felt blackness trying to claim him but fought it. Sue was slowly changing, she now wore a lot of gold around her neck. The last thing he saw was her face changing into BA's.

* * *

><p>"You three….ahh, I don't even know what to call you."<p>

"Idiots?" Murdock stepped in.

"Yeah I think that about sums it up. Just what were you thinking? Now I had to sedate him again in a short time. I'm sure it could have been avoided had you been here for him. He's gonna be sick for sure when he wakes up and then his pain will go up"

"Maggie we…"

"John Smith…don't you dare try to make any excuses. He heard you arguing, you know. He blames himself for everything; he thinks you are all mad at him."

"How could we be mad at him?" Murdock asked helplessly.

"Can you blame him for thinking that? Thank goodness B.A. was around earlier or he might have lost it completely."

B.A. punched his fist into his palm. "Damn…shoulda stayed with him instead of goin' after these two fools."

Hannibal rubbed at the stubble on his chin. "You're right B.A. I've been such a fool. I just don't know how to handle this…I can't get those images out of my mind. I can't forget what I did to him."

All eyes turned to the colonel. It was rare to hear such an admission from the man. He looked so drained and his shoulders were slumped dejectedly.

"You okay, Hannibal?" B.A. asked; his anger replaced by concern for the older man.

Hannibal shook his head 'no' and walked out of the room before the tears had a chance to flow for all to see.

"Stay with Face…I'll be right back," Maggie said following after Hannibal.

Hannibal made it as far as the front porch before his emotions took over and sent him to his knees.

"John?" Maggie questioned kneeling beside the man.

"Maggie…what have I done? What do I do? I…I'm so lost."

Maggie wrapped her arms around Hannibal. "There is no plan for something like this, is there?"

"No," Hannibal agreed. "God, I love that kid so much. I just don't know how to fix this."

"That's just it, John. He's not expecting you to fix it…he just needs you to tell him that it's going to be okay. He trusts you…he needs your support."

Hannibal wiped at his eyes. "But how can I? How can I tell him all is going to be okay? Things will never be the same again, even the VC wasn't as cruel as Sue. They made us watch others being tortured at times but very seldom forced us to inflict pain. And if they did it was usually caning and not anything close to what Sue had us doing. He'll never trust me again."

"How can you say that? From the little I've seen about you guys he trusts you a lot, he usually reaches out for you or calls for you when he's in pain."

"But now…he doesn't trust me anymore, you heard him; he thinks I enjoyed hurting him."

"John, he's in pain, he needed to vent some frustration and we all happened to be around. You can't put meaning to that."

Hannibal sat down on the steps with a heavy sigh. "It's not the first time."

"Huh?"

"It's not the first time I was forced to physically hurt him. Only this time it was so much worse. In the camps I was the highest ranking officer and responsible for the men. There was an incident where Face disobeyed me, or rather where the commander of the camp witnessed it. For Face it was a daily routine unfortunately. He would taunt the guards into taking him whenever he was up to and they came to our cage to pick someone. I would tell him to shut up, he wouldn't and was most of the time dragged away. That day the commander saw it and came over to me after Face was gone. He told me I was in charge and I had to punish him for his insubordinance. I told him to go to hell and he left me a choice, either I cane him without telling him I was forced to until the punishment was over or he would whip him, along with ten other men he would select at random. When Face was brought back I told him about his punishment and we were led over to some stand that was created for the purpose. He looked at me with such betrayal and sadness in his eyes that I almost couldn't do it. But I had to. The commander was cruel and an expert with the whip, I had seen him literally peel the skin off some men's backs. Face didn't let me get close to him for over a week and it took even longer to gain his trust back to the extent it had been before, not that it was at a high level even then. And this time, this time it's so much worse. That was the camps, a lot of shit happened, but now, one single woman. How's he supposed to believe me I couldn't have done anything against her?"

"He will, eventually he will."

They sat in silence lost in thought until Maggie spoke up. "John, can I ask you something?"

"What's it?"

"Is Face your son?"

"Hmm? We told you he's an orphan."

"I know, it's just…well, I thought you might have found out later or adopted him or something, you two share a special bond and you just admitted how much you love the boy, which is rare among men."

"No, no he's not mine, not biological at least. I somehow do consider myself his father in all the other ways, or at least I like to see it that way. I would never tell him though, don't know why I tell you."

"Why wouldn't you tell him?"

"Would scare the life out of him and he would retreat back into his shell faster than you can see."

"Why do you think so? I would guess he's looking for a family, being an orphan and all."

"He's looking for his family, not just any. Besides, we are his family but…but it's different. It's easy to tell him we're all family and he belongs to it but to actually tell him I feel like a father to him…that would take things too far. He's very independent."

Maggie was shaking her head. "And people say women are difficult to understand. Let's head back inside, he won't be out for too long."

Sure enough Face started to moan and shift minutes after they had entered the room. He hurt all over, he couldn't even remember the last time he had hurt that bad. He was lost in his agony and oblivious to the people around him, his eyes were still closed and his face a mask of pain.

"Face?"

That voice, he knew that voice. He turned his head towards it and opened his eyes. He saw Hannibal's face looming over him and scrambled back startled. Had it not been for BA standing there he would have fallen clear off the table. Instead he was now hanging in BA's arms. The sudden movement was too much for his stomach to take and he lost the battle before it had really started.

It wasn't the fact that it was Hannibal that scared Face; it was that he hadn't expected the man to be inches above him. But none of that mattered now as Hannibal saw it as Face rejecting him and Face was too ill to correct him.

B.A. continued to hold Face while Murdock had a bucket. Maggie was pressing a pillow against Face's belly in an attempt to keep him from ripping any stitches or jolting his abdomen too much.

Between the pain and the vomiting, Face could barely get a breath in. As the attack subsided he was close to hyperventilation and spots were dancing before his eyes. Maggie instructed B.A. and Murdock to lay him back out on the bed and then she placed a mask over his face. Seeing the instant fear in his eyes she mentally kicked herself for not explaining first. "It's just oxygen, Face. It will ease your breathing…just try and relax."

Face's bleary eyes were darting around the room. Murdock caught sight of this and soothed, "It's okay, muchacho. You're safe…it's only us."

But Face still scanned the room anxiously until his eyes fell on Hannibal. 'He's still here,' Face thought relieved. He kept his eyes on his colonel feeling protected just having him near. But then he realized that the older man was as far away from him as possible. 'He's still here…but not because he wants to be.'

Maggie was inspecting Face's abdomen. She was pressing down ever so lightly around his navel to check for any hardness, warmth or other signs of infection. Face was gritting his teeth and his good hand was clenched into a fist, but she noted that his eyes seemed to be focused on one spot. Following his line of vision, she saw that it was Hannibal. She smiled at the sight and then turned back to her examination.

Hannibal could feel Face's eyes on him and it was killing him to see his boy in such agony and he had to look away before he completely lost it. Was Face watching him because he was afraid that he was going to hurt him again? Hannibal wanted to go over and take hold of the white knuckled hand and allow him to squeeze his hand instead. He wanted to run over and say he was sorry…but would that be enough to cover it?

Face winced as Maggie hit a tender spot, but what really hurt was seeing Hannibal turn away from him. So Face turned his attention up to the ceiling so he wouldn't have to look at the colonel anymore and feel the rejection.

B.A. and Murdock had been witnessing the nonverbal communication going on in the room. B.A. leaned over and whispered to Murdock, "It's like watchin' a damn tennis match…I don't know who's gonna look at who next."

Murdock nodded and was about to respond but was cut off by Maggie.

"I'm satisfied that you've done no new damage. A good thing since I really want to avoid antibiotics right now if possible…I think you're feeling sick enough."

"Uh-huh," came Face's weak reply.

"That being said, I want to clean the surgical site with a disinfectant solution before replacing the bandage as well as some of your other wounds just to play it safe. Okay?"

Face nodded his approval and braced himself for what he knew was coming. Murdock and B.A. stood on either side of the bed as Maggie started at his feet and worked upward. It stung but wasn't too bad until she got to his torso. Face gasped and panted as she slowly pushed the plunger on a syringe holding the liquid into his belly button.

But as she moved upward to his raw nipples the pain in conjunction with the sensitive nature of the area she was working on was too much and he felt himself starting to lose control. He looked at Hannibal with tears in his eyes…wanting to call out for him…needing him to help him through. But the words just wouldn't come.

Hannibal saw the tear filled blue-green eyes and was torn. He so wanted to be close to Face and provide some comfort but he wasn't able to read him well. Was Face afraid of him or not? Would going over to him make things better or worse, the last thing he wanted was for Face to be in more pain because of another sharp movement. But he couldn't just stand there while Face was in agony and he was in a position to give comfort. Hannibal took a tentative step forward.

Maggie was done with Face's nipples and moved up to his shoulder. Face winced as she carefully peeled the bandages away. The burned flesh looked redder than last time, some infection was lingering and had to be killed before it flared up. Although the burning knife had closed most of the wound a little part had stayed open and was working as a kind of drain. She brought the syringe down and inserted the tip in the opening to wash out the deep wound. Just as Hannibal took a step forward she pressed down on the plunger causing Face to quickly tear his eyes away from Hannibal and going ghostly pale. Hannibal had been so concentrated on Face that he hadn't paid attention to Maggie. First he jumped back thinking that he had caused Face's reaction but then he saw Maggie working on the wound, the wound he had created and that was causing him such immense pain at this moment.

Face had seen Hannibal moving towards him until the pain had hit him in his shoulder and he tore his eyes away from him and screwed them shut. He waited for Hannibal's touch, a hand to hold on or just his hand resting somewhere on his body, but it never came. When he opened his eyes again Hannibal was back at the far wall where he had been before and Face's hope shattered. He was still pissed, wouldn't comfort him through his pain as he always did. No matter what Face had done, Hannibal had always been there for him when he was hurt or sick, but this time he had endangered the woman Hannibal had fallen in love with and the colonel wouldn't forgive him.

"Okay, Face. All done. I'm sorry I can't put the numbing cream on the open wounds but I'll apply some on the burns from the cattle prod. I'm afraid I can't apply more to your back since we can't turn you around or to your side right now." Maggie did what she could and then looked at BA. "You cream the last burn for him, okay?"

"You got it Maggie."

She handed over the cream and turned to the others. "Come on guys, let's give them some privacy."

Hannibal reluctantly left after Murdock and Maggie. He had wanted to stay, there was nothing on Face he hadn't seen before and he hoped Face would chose comfort over privacy but his eyes were fixed to the ceiling, never looking at Hannibal again.

Face knew it was inevitable as soon as Maggie started applying the cream. He had to go through the humiliation once more. Anyway, it was humiliating but it had helped a great deal the first time around. He looked at the ceiling after Maggie asked the others to go out. He couldn't stand to look at his colonel's retreating back. A single tear trickled down his face.

Over the course of the following few days Face continued to heal physically, but he was so sick from the medications that he couldn't tell. Lost in a haze of dizziness and nausea, he didn't know who he was half the time, let alone who was with him.

But as his head began to clear he realized that he was seeing an awful lot of Murdock and B.A. and very little of Hannibal. Those times when Hannibal was in the room, he was always with one of the others. He would say very little and remain perched by the door as if to make a quick getaway.

Hannibal could tell from the looks he was receiving that the group was angry with him. The only one not shooting him dirty glances was Face, but perhaps if he hadn't been so ill he would have joined in the party. As Face was feeling better he would look at him with a combination of fear, sadness and confusion. That is until he would notice Hannibal gazing in his direction…then he would quickly put on his 'everything is okay' mask.

But everything was far from okay. Face wasn't sleeping well as his body constantly ached…as did his mind. He didn't want to close his eyes as Sue seemed to reside behind his eyelids. Those times he did drift off he would invariably see her coming toward him and would jerk awake.

Four days after they returned to Bad Rock Maggie announced that she wanted to get Face up on his feet and moving around a bit more.

It started with a simple trip to the bathroom. Everybody was present in the room as Face took a deep breath and pushed himself up to a seated position. His vision blurred for a moment, but as it cleared Face saw Hannibal watching intently from his usual spot beside the door. 'I'm going to do this by myself,' Face vowed wanting to make the man proud.

As Face slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up his entire body protested. He bit back a groan and fought the dizziness.

"Need some help, man?" B.A. offered.

"No," Face simply replied. He took a few tentative steps and stopped as the burns on the soles of his feet were still tender.

"You sure you're up to this, Facey?"

"M'sure, Murdock," Face said already out of breath.

Face was almost to the door when the room began tilting and he stumbled forward and right toward Hannibal.

Hannibal saw Face falling in his direction and he froze.

Face saw Hannibal before him…and saw him make no move to catch him. He waited for the impact of the floor as he hit, but at the last second he was held up from behind. The rattling of chains told him that it was B.A. who grabbed him.

"I gotcha, Faceman," B.A. said while shooting daggers in Hannibal's direction.

"Get him back in the bed," Maggie ordered. "I'm sorry…maybe it was too soon."

"I…can…do this," Face insisted weakly. "Have to…do this."

"Face…I don't think…"

"Maggie…please," Face implored.

Maggie saw Face looking at Hannibal out of the corner of his eye and suddenly it clicked into place for her. He was trying to prove something to Hannibal. "Okay…fine…but only with some help." She looked beseechingly at Hannibal; begging him with her eyes to hold out his hand and be the one to support Face as he took these first steps toward healing.

Again Hannibal did nothing and Face's heart sank. His face fell for just a second before he replaced his mask and allowed Murdock to help him the rest of the way while B.A. trailed muttering angrily as he passed Hannibal.

"I froze," Hannibal said in a shocked tone. "I can't believe I froze…twice." He sat down hard onto a chair and put his head into his hands. "And I got on him for freezing when there was a crazy lady holding a gun at him."

Maggie wanted to comfort him and tell him it would be alright. But at this point she wasn't so sure of that herself. There was so much tension between the two men that she wasn't about to try and cut through it. So she settled for putting a hand on his shoulder as they waited for Face's return.

Face had been so drained physically and emotionally from being vertical that he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. The others quietly retreated to their own rooms for some rest as it had been trying for all involved.

It was a couple of hours later that they heard the scream.

Hannibal bolted out of bed and went running for Face's room. 'I'm not going to let you down this time, kid.' He was the first to arrive and saw a trembling Face sitting up in bed with his eyes fixed on the window and a mixture of fear and agony on his face. He was dripping with sweat and had obviously bolted awake from a nightmare.

Hannibal was at his side in a flash. "What is it kid?"

Face, who had been frozen in position gasped and whirled around startled and Hannibal feared he had caused a similar reaction like last time but instead Face practically leaped at him, even though it was only some inches that separated them, and grabbed his t-shirt with both hands. It was a bit awkward since one of his forearms was still in a cast but he didn't mind.

Face clung to him like a little monkey. He had a white knuckle grip on his t-shirt. His expression had something childlike, a scared little kid with big eyes. "It's okay kid, just a dream, I got you, I got you."

"No, no, she was here, please, don't let her get me again, please, she was…is here, I saw her." Face's eyes darted between the window, the door, the entire room and Hannibal, although Hannibal only got quick glances.

"You've been dreaming kid, she's not here, she's in prison where she belongs."

"No, I saw her, please help me, please."

"Kid, we're at the first floor, how should she appear outside your window? It's not possible."

But Face's mind wasn't working with logic right then. Lack of sleep coupled with the nightmare, pain and sickness saw to that. "I saw her, I saw her very clear, please, she's gonna hurt me again."

Hannibal saw that logic didn't get him anywhere here. He griped Face's head that was darting from side to side in both of his hands forcing him to look straight at his colonel, "there's nobody here kid…you're safe, I've got you."

Face locked eyes with Hannibal for a moment before his mind caught on to the fact that he was clinging to Hannibal's shirt and he dropped his hands as if the fabric was burning hot. He shifted away a bit, his eyes anywhere but on his colonel mumbling "sorry, I…I'm sorry."

Hannibal wanted to reach out for him and pull him in a comforting embrace but Murdock beat him to it. He had sat down at the other side of the bed and as soon as Face shifted away from Hannibal had laid a hand on his back causing Face to turn towards him where he was pulled into a tight embrace. "Shh, all is well, we're here for you, all of us," that bit was added with a look at Hannibal that said "and don't you dare say or act otherwise."

Face's back was turned towards Hannibal so all that he could do was reach out and stroke his back and his hair. At first Face stiffened but then he relaxed again. BA checked the window, not because he expected to find anything there but just to make Face feel better, and Maggie checked Face's vitals.

"You need sleep buddy, you're exhausted. How's your body supposed to heal if you're not sleeping? Come on, push over a bit." Murdock got on the bed beside Face and pulled him close to himself for maximum comfort. Face tensed a little at first but soon melted into the comfort of a warm body. BA and Maggie returned to their rooms and Hannibal was still standing in the room. He pulled up a chair, covered his two men and settled in for the night, never cutting off the physical contact to Face who, for the first time in ages, slept like a stone.

In the morning Hank dropped by with the three Holmes in tow. They had dropped by almost daily but Face had been so out of it that he didn't see much of them. Maggie answered the door.

"Hi, come in. I'm sorry to disappoint you again, he's sleeping, but the good news is that he finally is able to find some sleep."

"Maggie, I wanted to talk to Hannibal." Hank said.

"I'm sorry. He's sitting with Face and it was damn time too. I want Face to see him there when he wakes up."

"Okay, just tell him then. It's about Sue, I can't keep her in our holding cell for much longer, I have to eventually transfer her to a prison but she keeps rambling about how she misses her Templeton. Someone might put two and two together. They need to move as soon as Face s up to it."

Ella handed Maggie a tray of cookies and said, "Be sure to let us know so we can visit our boy one last time."

Mary stood between her parents and put an arm around each of their shoulders. "I really wish I had a chance to meet Face…my folks do nothing but gush over him."

"Not so bad on the eyes either," James imitated with an eye roll.

Mary blushed. "Dad!"

They all chuckled as Hank held open the door. "We best be on our way…please tell Hannibal what I said."

"I will," Maggie promised.

"And not what my dad said," Mary whispered as she passed.

"Don't worry…mum's the word." Maggie smiled and pretended to zipper her lips and then shut the door behind her. The smile faded from her lips at the thought of the team moving on…especially Hannibal.

Face woke to find himself still in Murdock's arms and Hannibal still sitting in a chair next to the bed. The only difference is that they were both sleeping.

Looking at Hannibal's slouched figure he thought, 'he stayed…maybe he does care.'

Face settled back and was about to nod off again when he heard Hannibal start to mumble.

"Face…no…please. Don't…no…please…Face."

"Hannibal…wake up," Face said softly not wanting to wake the softly snoring Murdock. Hannibal was beginning to shift around in his seat and was beginning to perspire.

"Face…don't…no. FACE!" Hannibal bolted upright; eyes wild he rose to his feet as if ready to pounce.

The scream had brought Murdock back to his senses and he rubbed his eyes trying to make sure he was seeing what was before him. Of any of the team, Hannibal was the least prone to nightmares.

"You okay, Hannibal?" Face asked wondering what his friend had been dreaming about that got him so worked up.

Hannibal was looking around the room, but clearly not seeing his surroundings yet.

"Hannibal," Murdock tried louder. "Hannibal…can you hear me?"

Hannibal shook himself slightly. "Yeah…I…sorry." His voice was husky and wrought with emotion.

B.A. burst into the room with Maggie in tow. "What's goin' on man? You messin' with the Faceman again?"

"No, B.A.," Face answered. "The colonel just had a nightmare. Can't leave all the fun to me." Face knew how hard it was to talk about his own dreams, he was an expert in this field. Much as he wanted to know what Hannibal had been dreaming about he also wanted to give the colonel a way out. Especially now that he seemed to have changed his mind toward Face. The dream was obviously about him and being forced to relate his dream in front of all other might drive him away again.

Hannibal really didn't want to talk about his dream and grasped the chance Face offered with both hands. "Yeah, can't leave all the weird dreams to Face. I hardly get them and thought I'll share his load with him." Looking Face straight in the eye he added, "he has enough things to battle without added nightmares to it."

Face didn't know what to think of the situation. Was it sarcasm and Hannibal blamed him for causing him nightmares or was he genuine and did mean to help Face? He sure couldn't influence his dreams so it was most likely the first version and Face had caused yet another problem.

"Hank and the Holmes' were here earlier."

A ghost of a smile rushed over Face's features. He had been pretty out of it for the last days but he did know that they had come to visit often, even if he could not tell what they had said or how long they had stayed he had registered their presence in the back of his mind. They knew him for such a short time and he had caused them immense trouble and yet they cared for him. It wasn't something Face had a whole lot of experience with and he was very grateful that he had gotten to know them.

"Are they coming back?"

"They want to see you as soon as possible Face, they care a lot about you." Maggie smiled at Face warmly. "Now how about you get some more rest and I take the others out of here to get you some peace and quiet?"

Face's happy mood wavered. "But…"

"Your personal pillow, Murdock, can stay but the rest goes out. You need the rest while you can get it, no arguments. Try to sleep a little more, I'll check you over later."

Seeing that Hannibal was reluctant to go she added, "I need to talk to your colonel here and wouldn't want to disturb you. I'll steal him from you for only some minutes."

Hannibal reached out to touch Face's good arm. "Sleep tight kid, Maggie's right, you need the rest. I'll be with you soon."

"Can't you two talk here? I slept enough, it's bright daylight." He felt childish wanting to hold onto their presence but he felt so secure with Hannibal present. He seemed to hold Sue at bay, keeping her out of his dreams or at least stopping her before she could really hurt him. The nightmares and therefore the lack of sleep of the last week had kept him utterly exhausted and it was difficult to keep his masks in place.

"No Face, you need more sleep. I'll draw the thick curtains close to darken the room and then I want you to close your eyes and try to sleep more."

As soon as the door closed Face snuggled closer to Murdock and starred at the window in front of him afraid someone, or rather one precise someone, may appear in the semi darkness of the room.


	33. Chapter 33

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 33

"John, Hank said he needs to transfer Sue to a prison soon and then it's no longer safe for you to stick around."

"I feared that. Maybe he can draw it out for another day or two to allow Face to heal some more before we have to move. We need to find a place close enough and still out of the immediate area the military will search. We will still need you for some time to come."

"Yeah, Face is weak after all the nasty reactions to the drugs. I'm also concerned about his mental stability. He needs to work through all that happened to him and it's gonna take time."

"Yeah, she tortured him in a way nobody can just shrug off. But he's tough; he'll be alright…eventually."

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"What was that dream about?"

The question came out of the blue and Hannibal wasn't prepared to answer. "It was nothing…just a bad dream."

"And that 'nothing' is why you can barely hold that cigar in your hand still?"

Hannibal quickly lowered his hand. "It happened a long time ago."

"So it was something then?" Maggie prodded.

Hannibal exhaled loudly. "You are impossible…you know that?"

Maggie smiled. "Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you."

"I obviously don't like to dream about it, why would I want to talk about it?"

Maggie decided to try a different approach. "John, what do you tell Face after he has a nightmare?"

"I tell him that he should talk about it and not bottle it up inside." Maggie was about to speak, but Hannibal didn't give her the chance. "And what does Face do most of the time? He ignores me."

She was getting frustrated. "Fine, John. I was just trying to help, but if you don't trust me enough…" She started walking away, but Hannibal pulled her back.

"It's not that, Mags."

"Then what is it for heaven's sakes?"

Hannibal stared straight ahead as if seeing something from the past playing before his eyes. "It was one of the worst days of my life." Hannibal turned and started walking out the door. Looking back over his shoulder he apologized, "I'm sorry…I just can't…I'm sorry."

"John…wait…I…" Maggie called after him, but it was too late. She jumped as she felt an arm on her shoulder.

"Didn't mean to scare ya, lil' mama."

"Oh…no…that's okay, B.A. Is Face alright?"

"Yeah, he fine. The fool's the best person to calm him down right now." B.A. saw Maggie staring out the door at Hannibal's retreating back. "Hannibal's gonna be alright too."

"I don't know…the look on his face just now…he looked downright lost."

"Want me to go talk to him?" B.A. offered. He had a feeling he knew exactly what Hannibal had been dreaming about as it had been the source of quite a few of his own nightmares over the years.

Maggie nodded and smiled. "Thanks, B.A."

'Don't thank me yet,' B.A. thought. This subject was one that wasn't spoken of between the men; it was too painful to recall. But perhaps now was the time to get it out into the open.

Hannibal turned when he heard B.A. footsteps approaching.

"We need to talk, man."

"I don't see about what."

"It's still eating at you, and the Faceman is blaming himself for causing you distress, far as I can think that is. None of you ever talked about it."

Hannibal knew exactly what BA was talking about but he made one last attempt to get away from the topic. "What are you talking about? If you mean my dream, it was about Face's womanizing. I warned him about a certain lady being a trap but he still went for her. I called out to him and was only meters away from him but couldn't reach him with my hands to hold him back, and Lynch was standing right behind the woman. It was funny."

"Yeah, that would be funny. And you wouldn't react that way. You dreamed about the time he jumped off that bridge trying to off himself."

BA, always the straight forward.

"We don't know that."

"Oh come off it, colonel. I heard you shouting, you saw him jump even if you never talk about it, and we pulled him out of the river more than a click downstream and good as dead. If that log had not caught him we woulda never seen him again. And I heard you shout in your sleep, it was the exact same words I heard when I ran for you two in Nam. So don't you go trying to tell me about no woman and Lynch."

_The Team had gone through a rough mission in Nam and was on its way back to the landing zone. They had been deep in enemy territory and saw a lot of death and destruction. Lots of innocent civilians including kids had been killed and left behind by the enemy for the American soldier to see. It was a tactic used to destroy moral, like leaving a sign that reads 'see what you do when you invade our country' only more effective._

_Because of the area they operated in they had to hike some way to the landing zone but were in relative safety at their current location. Ray had point, Hannibal was after him, then BA and Face brought up the rear. Face had been quiet after seeing the dead kids in one village, small kids, killed for no other purpose than the fun of it. They sure had been no threat to anyone. Hannibal decided to check on him now that they were out of any hot zone and let himself fall back. They had just crossed a bridge over a rather small river. It was rain season and though the river was small the water was flowing fast and had enough power. He was past BA now but no sign of Face. Hannibal stopped walking and waited for some seconds before heading back the way he came. By the time the bridge came into his view the sight made his heart speed up and he started running and shouting. Face had climbed over the little wooden railing of the bridge and was intently gazing down at the water. His pack, boots and rifle were lying on the ground. He didn't even acknowledge Hannibal. By the time the colonel was almost close enough to reach out and pull Face back he jumped into the water and was quickly carried away by it._

_BA and Ray heard Hannibal's shouts and turned back running. By the time they reached the river they saw Face's things and Hannibal running along the river and put one and one together. They followed their colonel and found Face after running more than a click downstream. He was trapped by a large log that was caught between some trees by the side of the river and reached almost to the other side of it. Ray used a rope to secure himself and walked into the water while Hannibal and BA held the rope. The current was pressing him to the log and it moved some. He reached Face and pulled him back to the side of the river. He almost made it out when the tree by the side gave out and relieved the log. The current was so powerful, Ray would have been washed away had he not been secured with the rope. It was all he could do to hold onto Face while BA and Hannibal pulled them out._

_Face was unconscious. There was water in his lungs and several ribs and his left arm were broken from hitting pieces of wood and rocks in the water. The doctors later told them they had rescued him just in the nick of time. When they saw him the next day he looked awful, covered in bruises all around. He was also very distant and quiet. Hannibal was disappointed that after all the work he had put in the young man he still hadn't come to him with his problems but tried to kill himself when the pressure of the war had become too much._

_No one ever spoke about what happened. Anytime the topic came up Hannibal quickly killed it. But he still dreamed about losing Face from time to time, about reaching out but not being able to touch the kid and having to watch him drown and it killed him on the inside to think about what could have happened that day._

"I saw him jump BA. I was so close, I could almost touch him, but he jumped before I was close enough. He should have come to talk to me. Why didn't he come to me?"

"Why you askin' me? Ask him. It's about damn time you two talked."

"I….well…it's not that easy." Hannibal twisted the cigar in his hand.

"Why not? You're the front door fan, just ask him straight. He won't bite, is far too weak to." BA didn't wait for an answer knowing he wouldn't get one but returned to the house.

Hannibal was left thinking. BA was right; Hannibal had tried to avoid that talk as much as possible. He didn't really want to know why Face would try to kill himself instead of coming to him and talk if things got too much. He liked to think that things had changed since that time and dreaded to learn he was wrong. But it was eating at him and should be brought to the open, at least between the two of them. But then again, now wasn't the time. Face was too sick to deal with it. Or was that just he creating a new reason to put the topic off? If BA was right and Face did blame himself…

Hannibal stood contemplating for a while longer without really coming to a conclusion before he headed back inside to check on Face. He didn't want to leave him alone for too long fearing he would interpret it as rejection. He had caused enough trouble over the last days.

Face wasn't sleeping. His heart was beating like a jackhammer and his eyes were darting around in the semi darkness of the room while his back was pressed firmly into Murdock who was stroking a hand through his hair. He had previously tried to calm him with words but didn't achieve anything. As Face heard Hannibal approach he relaxed some and as Hannibal drew a chair close and sat down by his side Murdock could feel how Face heartbeat steadily slowed down, he felt safe between his two friends.

"Hey kid, thought you were told to sleep, you better mind your doc."

"Would you…ehm…could…ehm…could you…stay?"

"Sure kid, I'm not going anywhere, you just rest."

Face closed his eyes and in no time drifted off.

"How's he been?" Hannibal whispered to Murdock.

"He's afraid Sue could come back. I couldn't get him to calm down. He only relaxed when you came in."

"Hank says he needs to move her to a prison soon. I hope Face can get one more day to heal some before we move out."

"Maybe it'll be better we leave as soon as possible. He can only relax if he knows Sue will not find him."

They stopped their whispered conversation and watched Face sleep. After a short time he shifted uncomfortably as all his injuries made themselves known.

"Shh, try to rest some more."

Face was still tired but couldn't find more sleep between the constant aches. He opted for a little small talk and finally asked, "What was your earlier dream about?"

Hannibal considered lying but decided now was as good a time as ever. "About the time you jumped from that bridge in Nam."

"Oh, that."

"You know you could always come to me?"

Face looked up confused. "For what?"

"To talk, sometimes that helps."

Face was still confused. "Maybe, but sure not in this case. I barely had time to get rid of my things when I spotted him."

It was Hannibal's turn to be confused. "Who?"

"The boy, the little boy. I waited until the water brought him close and then jumped. It took me a while to get a hold of him and when I finally turned him around he…it was too late. He had been shot and thrown in the river. I…I wanted so bad to rescue at least this one. I held onto him to at least get him out of the water and bury him but the current ripped him away from me."

Hannibal felt stupid. All those years he had thought Face had wanted to commit suicide while just asking the question 'why did you jump in' would have said it all.

Face saw the bewildered look on Hannibal's face and asked, "why did you think I jumped into the water?"

Hannibal bit at his lip trying to come up with something…anything…to tell Face other than the truth. But Face paled and Hannibal knew it was too late.

"You…you didn't. Tell me you didn't…"

"Face…What was I supposed to think? I didn't see any little boy."

Face went even whiter as the memories were starting to flood his mind. "You didn't see him because he wasn't there…he was dead, remember?" There was no anger behind his words, just remorse.

"Kid…I'm sorry. I should have asked, but I just assumed…"

"You just assumed I would off myself and put you all at risk."

Murdock shifted uncomfortably behind Face. He wasn't there and had to rely on Ray's brief description of what went down. He, too, assumed Face had jumped with the purpose of ending his life. He had tried to talk about it once, but was shut down cold by Hannibal who insisted it better off left alone.

Hannibal ran a hand down his face. "I thought the death was too much for you to take…"

"It was," Face agreed. "But I wouldn't do that to you guys." Not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind. "Who else thought I tried to kill myself? B.A.?"

"Yes," Hannibal admitted. "And Ray."

Murdock felt he had to speak up. "Me too, buddy. Sorry."

Face shrugged his shoulders slightly. "It's okay…no harm done I guess."

Hannibal didn't believe those words for a second. "I think B.A. needs to hear some of this. Hold on a minute while I get him." He left the room in a hurry and almost ran into B.A. on the stairs.

"Hey, man…where's the fire?"

"B.A., there's something you need to know…" Hannibal gave the sergeant a quick rundown of what they had just learned.

"You kiddin' me, colonel. After all them years of thinkin' Face wanted to die that day…we shoulda asked him, man."

Hannibal nodded. "I know. I really messed up, but it's out in the open now. I think it's something Face still needs to talk about some more."

"Well…what we waitin' for?"

They walked back to the bedroom and opened the door to see Murdock holding a wet cloth to Face's forehead and talking soothingly.

"Face?"

"I'm…'kay. Just haven't thought…about this…in a while."

"Just slow your breathing, muchacho. It's okay…everything is okay."

Hannibal knelt down next to the bed and took Face's hand. "I didn't want to cause you anymore pain, kid."

"Not only…me. You…you…suffered too. I'm…sorry."

B.A. exhaled loudly. "You need to stop apologizin' all the time. You was just tryin' to help a kid. Ain't your fault we wasn't brave enough to talk about what went down."

"None…none of you…would talk to me…after. I thought…you were…mad at…me. Hurt…couldn't understand why. Just trying to…save…save him."

Hannibal squeezed the hand he held. "No…we were never mad. I was so scared, kid. I thought I was going to lose you that day."

Murdock was hugging him tight; Hannibal was holding his hand; and B.A. placed a hand on his leg. Face felt safe and supported and all his emotions from that day came flooding out.

"I…I waited…heard you shouting…but…registered only later. Waited 'till he was close enough and jumped. Your shouts…'don't' only registered when I was fighting to get back to the bench and it didn't work. I…I realized that you must have seen him too, BA was only maybe 10 meters ahead of me, but knew a trap when you saw it. Thought he was thrown inside on purpose to get some soldier to jump after him and get drowned. I didn't listen to you. So sorry. I should have thought twice, after all he had his face down, but…but…I just had to try. What if he had been alive?"

"Don't you say you're sorry Faceman…I woulda jumped in for sure as long as there was a chance. I never saw him, was probably too far up the stream when I passed there."

"But…I knew the rule, no man get's left behind. You all came after me, I endangered all of you. I'm sorry for that, not for jumping after the kid."

"You didn't endanger us kid."

"But you came after me instead of getting out of enemy land."

"That's right but it was the war that made the place dangerous. For all you know there might have been an ambush just ahead of us that you saved us from. After we pulled you out of the river we radioed for Murdock and he came in, I would never have thought that the chopper would fit in that spot."

"Anything for my buddy."

"But…you were mad, when I woke up at the hospital. I asked who had pulled me out, you blocked every word, never let me talk about that day."

"Oh Face, we weren't mad, a little bewildered maybe but not mad. And now close your eyes and sleep. I need to go find us a new home. Behave boys."

B.A. and Murdock exchanged worried glances as Hannibal walked out the door; he left the room a bit too abruptly for their liking.

"He's uncomfortable around me," Face sighed.

B.A. and Murdock shared another glance…Face had noticed as well.

"I think he's more uncomfortable about what that psycho made him do to you," Murdock said. "And now he's feeling guilty about his nightmare dragging up the past."

"But…he had no choice. At first I hurt so bad that I couldn't see that."

"And now?" Murdock probed.

"Now?" "Still hurts…inside and out," Face smiled slightly. "But it's getting better. Helps having you guys with me." He blushed at making such a candid statement.

B.A. removed the towel that was still on Face's forehead, dipped it in some fresh water and repositioned it. "We a team, man…what happens to one of us affects us all. It helps havin' you with us too."

"Hannibal will come around. It's just that he is used to being in control of things. When all the bad went down and he couldn't do anything to help you, I think it seriously played with his head. I don't think he knows what to do to make things right again."

"The fool's right. Damn, I'm sayin' that too often these days," B.A. joked and was glad that it made Face chuckle.

"It would explain why he had that nightmare…it was another time when he felt powerless and didn't know how to help you."

"You're probably right, Murdock," Face replied through a yawn. "I don't expect him to make things right…there is nothing that could ever make what she did right. I'm just happy he isn't mad anymore."

"Never was, Faceman," B.A. corrected. "Just worried."

Face yawned again and Murdock pulled the blanket up higher to cover them both. "Now try and get some sleep. If we need to move out soon you're going to need your strength."

A snore was the only response from Face as he had already drifted off.

The next time Face woke it was similar to the time prior, only now Murdock was no longer in bed with him. Hannibal was asleep in the chair by the bed and mumbling incoherently.

'Here we go again,' Face thought. "Hannibal…wake up…Hannibal."

Hannibal's eyes drifted open and he immediately rubbed at his eyes and sat up in his chair. "Hey…you're awake, kid."

"I couldn't say the same for you. You alright, colonel?"

"Yeah."

"Another dream."

"Uh-huh." An awkward silence filled the air. Finally Hannibal knew he had to say something before Face blamed himself yet again. "I was dreaming about that case a few years back…the one where you had to break into city hall."

Face had endured a few nightmares about that night himself. They lapsed into silence again lost in their memories.

_Face tore through the alley, ducked into a doorway, and tried to squeeze into nothingness._

_Sweat stung his eyes and clouded his vision already impaired by the oppressive fog. His lungs burned; his legs felt like rubber. He pressed against the concrete wall. Leaning his head back he struggled to control his breathing and stop his heart from hammering in his chest._

_They left him. He couldn't believe they left him…he was alone. _

_He felt something wet dripping down his right hand. He tried to lift his arm to take a look, but for some reason his shoulder didn't want to cooperate. He didn't feel any pain until he glanced down and saw the blood; then came the pain. 'Don't remember that happening,' he thought to himself._

_Where were they? Why weren't they there?_

_He had just gotten the documents they needed to nail the bad guys out of the records room in city hall. Unfortunately, a few of those bad guys had the same idea and caught him in the act. He fled the building and the barrage of bullets and ran out into the alley expecting to jump into the van and speed away to safety._

_Keep calm. They'll be back._

_He managed to get away from his assailants by jumping into a dumpster a few streets away. The smell was overwhelming; he would have to destroy the designer clothes he was wearing. He made a mental note to wear something less expensive next time. He waited until the coast was clear and then high-tailed it back to the alley behind city hall, hoping the thugs wouldn't be smart enough to check back there. _

_He hid in the doorway and waited… and waited…and waited._

_After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only 20 minutes, he heard the sound of a vehicle coming speeding down the alley. He peered around the wall and sighed with relief when he saw the familiar headlights coming toward him. The van door slid open and he wasted no time in finding his usual seat._

"_Go B.A.!" he heard the colonel say. The silver haired man turned around in his seat and apologized, "Sorry Face…Decker found us and we had to shake him."_

"_Yeah man," B.A. grumbled. "We didn't want to leave ya…had no choice."_

_Face wanted to tell them that he understood; that he knew they wouldn't leave him unless that had to. Everybody else in his life had left him…but they never had…and he knew they never would. He wanted to tell them, but he couldn't form the words. He felt dizzy; suddenly he was very hot. He closed his eyes; they were too heavy to keep open._

"_He's been hit!" Murdock exclaimed noticing the blood on his shirt that had been hard to see in the darkness of the van._

"_How bad?" Hannibal asked nearly jumping into the backseat next to him._

_Face could feel Murdock unbuttoning his shirt to take a closer look. "Looks like it went clean through…it's bleeding pretty heavy though."_

_Face groaned as B.A. hit a bump causing the pilot to jar his injured shoulder._

_The last thing Face remembered before giving into the blessed darkness was Hannibal's voice encouraging, "Hang in there kid…you're going to be just fine."_

_And he knew he would be, for he wasn't alone anymore._

Back in the present, Face smiled at Hannibal. "The last thing I remembered was your voice…and I felt safe."

Hannibal chuckled. "That wasn't the case all the time. I remember times where hearing my voice from a distance made you turn and run in the other direction."

Face looked puzzled trying to catch onto what Hannibal was referring to.

"Oh you sure haven't forgotten our beginnings and the training I put you through."

Finally knowing where Hannibal was going Face huffed, "Training? That was no training. I'm sure you took some of the obstacles from the VC's torture handbook. And if not the obstacles then the way you made me run them."

"You were quite a handful, I had to keep you out of trouble."

"Yeah, I was too tired for any trouble for sure. And just for the record, I wasn't running from your voice, I was running from you. It's just that a few times I got lucky and your bellowing voice gave you away before you came into sight."

"You think you got lucky? It just made me more mad if I couldn't find you and I made you run even more rounds."

"Still was lucky. Sure I had to run more rounds but you never gave me much of a break. If you had caught me to begin with I would have run through whatever you had planned for me and I would have been on the next round of torture soon after. That way I had one very very intense one instead of two very intense ones."

"That kind of logic could only come from you. What about trying to be a model soldier to get out of my punishments?"

"Didn't seem likely at the time. One reason was that the concept of being a model soldier…well…it just didn't fit in with my other plans. And then I sometimes didn't even know what got me your wrath so how would I know what would get me out of it?"

"You don't mean it. You were constantly in trouble over women, scams gone south, gambling, bar fights…do I need to go on? And I was in trouble with you because I had to bail you out all the time."

"You could have just left me in the stockade."

"Trust me, there were times when I got close. But I had a bet running with some other colonels and majors that I would get you straightened out, couldn't lose that bet."

"Oh, if that was the case I fully understand you." Face put on a cheery front but inside he felt slapped in the face. So it was all a bet. All this time he thought Hannibal had gone through all the trouble to keep him on the team because he cared but it was just his pride. And after Nam he was probably stuck with him. Hannibal missed the emotions that played in his eyes before the cheerful mask was back in place.

"You gave up on the punishments with time. Was your bet timed? You had to keep me out of a court marshal for a certain time to collect your money?"

"No, believe it or not your behavior got better. You still got in trouble but you were more selective with time, places and people. And your bonds with the team got stronger therefore you actually won some of the fights you got into and managed to get away before the MP's showed up. You put the team first and that was enough for me…well…not enough but I knew I would never get you further than that." Hannibal added with twinkling eyes.

Hannibal was lost in memories of some of the worst stunts Face had pulled before he spoke up again. "There were times I was about to give up and accept defeat. I tell you, if Murdock had not pleaded your case time and time again I would have let you rot in the stockade instead of putting you through more obstacle courses."

"Wonder if that wouldn't have been more pleasant," Face said with as much sarcasm as he could muster. 'So it wasn't only a bet but Murdock had to argue for me too.' He really didn't want to hear more of that topic. "You found us a new location yet?"

"Murdock and B.A. are out scouting some locations Hank suggested. We're planning on leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

Face just nodded.

"You feeling okay, kid?" Hannibal had sensed a sudden shift in Face's disposition and was clueless as to why.

"Yeah…fine." Face wanted to be alone to sort out his thoughts so he added. "I'm just kind of wiped out still. Think I'll go back to sleep."

"I was going to go pick up Ella and James so they could say goodbye…Mary had to leave yesterday. But if you want me to stay…"

"No," Face quickly protested. A bit too quickly, so he added in a calmer tone, "I'd really like to see them…go ahead, I'll be fine."

Hannibal stood and patted Face on the knee. "Sleep tight, kid."

Once he was alone, Face let his mask drop and the tears flow.

A bet…it had all been a bet.

All those times Hannibal had bailed him out claiming to care…a lie.

All those times he had built his ego up and showed faith in him…an act.

All those times Face thought it was too good to be true…it was.


	34. Chapter 34

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 34

It was all starting to make sense now. He had often wondered why the colonel bothered with him in the first place, and now he knew the truth. John "Hannibal" Smith did not like to lose and would go to great lengths to come out on top. It was one of the qualities that made him such a good leader and an inspiration to his men. Face just wished he hadn't decided to play games with his life.

But why would he keep Face around all these years later? The answer to that was simple: to get them things. Face could get whatever was asked of him no matter where they were and under any circumstances. 'Hannibal must have gotten used to the luxury and decided it was worth putting up with me even after the bet was over,' Face thought feeling stupid and used.

_'I sure wish Face wasn't shot…the reason I keep him around is to get us medical care when needed.'_

Those were the words Face first heard when he was coming to after the City Hall shooting. At the time he thought Hannibal was kidding. But he wasn't…he was being completely honest at a moment when he thought that Face couldn't hear him. He closed his eyes and went back to that day once more.

_There was an intense pain in his shoulder that brought him out of his haze. Something…make that somebody…was pressing down on top of the wound._

_'I sure wish Face wasn't shot…the reason we keep him around is to get us medical care when needed.'_

_Face's eyes fluttered open to see a serious Hannibal straddle over him and applying pressure to slow the bleeding._

_'Han…bal.'_

_'Don't talk…just be still.'_

_Hannibal was all business and Face did as told. He didn't have the energy to do much more anyway._

_Murdock was rummaging through the med kit, but he took the time to look up and smile. 'Glad to see you back with us, buddy.'_

_Even B.A. who was bringing in their gear from the van came over. 'You gonna be just fine, Faceman.'_

_Face looked back to Hannibal who refused to meet his eyes. Something felt wrong…the colonel looked angry…but at who?_

_'Facey, we're a bit low on supplies,' Murdock said gently. 'We don't have anything to numb you up…you have to be real quiet so the neighbors don't hear.'_

_Face nodded his understanding as Hannibal and Murdock switched places. _

_Murdock held one side of him and B.A. the other as Hannibal robotically went about stitching and cleaning the gaping hole._

_Murdock and B.A. had talked to him the entire time trying to distract him from the agony, but what was more distracting was the lack of support from Hannibal._

_Face was drenched with sweat and shaking viciously by the time it was through. He remembered trying to talk but not being able to form a sentence before falling unconscious again._

What happened in the room after that Face didn't know. He was out cold for another day and a half before waking up back in the van on their way to a new location. But now that Face had the time to reflect upon it he realized that Hannibal must have been angry at him for not having the supplies he needed. 'That's the only reason he wants me around…and I failed.'

A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts with a jolt.

"Face, can I come in?" The muffled voice came through the door.

It was a female voice and Face's heart began to race. 'Sue…she's back! I have to get out of here.' He climbed out of the bed as quickly as his mending body allowed.

"Face?"

He was halfway across the room when the dizziness hit and he fell to his knees on the floor.

Maggie heard a thump and immediately opened the door. "Face!"

"No…please…no more, Sue."

Face's eyes were wide open and he was looking at her, but obviously seeing something else. "Face…it's Maggie. Can you hear me?"

Face looked like a train running out of steam. "I…Maggie? No…it's a trick…I…can't…no…"

Maggie inched forward. "It's okay…just calm down. It really is me. Sue is in jail…she can't hurt you anymore."

Face looked into her eyes and saw that is was really Maggie. "Thank God." He sagged all the way to the floor breathing hard and trembling.

Maggie knelt down beside him and held his head in her hands. "Come on Face, let's get you back to bed, you'll get cold on the floor here."

She helped him up but he was leaning heavily on her. One step revealed that his legs were not going to support him and his knees gave out. He sagged down again. Together they made another attempt but there was no way Face would stand on his own legs again, let alone walk. He was trembling with exhaustions by the time Maggie had lowered him to the floor again.

"Let me get you some blankets and then I'll remove the mattress from the bed for you to lay on. Last thing we need is you getting sick from cold, besides the floor is hard and uncomfortable."

Maggie wrapped a blanket around Face's trembling shoulders and he realized just how cold he felt.

"T…th..anks Maggs."

Another thought struck him. He couldn't even get up, he couldn't care for himself and there was no way he could protect Maggie. If Sue came back now he would get Maggie in trouble again with nothing he could do. Sue had proven to be good at stalking him out and finding the moments when he was weak. She would be here any minute, the whole team was gone, he was left with Maggie and the whole damn thing would happen again, they were sitting ducks. He could not let that happen. Not only would he never forgive himself for getting Maggie in trouble again but Hannibal would probably kill him. Now that he knew how weak his position on the team was he couldn't risk anymore screw ups if he wanted to stay among the guys. Getting them supplies counted only so much, he was replaceable. He had to protect Maggie and he had to work extra hard to get the team all the supplies they needed and then some.

"Maggie, quick, get out of here… you're not safe. Go …go to…the Holmes'…to Hannibal."

"Face, this is my home, I'm perfectly safe here, don't worry honey."

"No,no…she…she'll come…she'll come again and I can't protect you…go..hurry." Face was breathing faster; his eyes were darting around the room lingering on the window before darting back to the door.

"Face, you need to calm down, Sue is in prison, she can't hurt you. It's over Face, you're safe and so am I. Calm down."

"No…please…go."

The ringing of the bell startled both of them.

"Oh no…go..go through the window…she wants me , you can get away safe..hurry."

"Face, calm down, she's in prison. I'm going to answer the door, maybe someone needs my help."

"No, no…it's a trick." Face had grabbed Maggie's arm and wasn't about to let her go to the door where Sue waited, he was sure of that.

"Mags?"

"Hank. Back here, Face's room."

"No, no, it's a trick…get out of here, fast."

The door opened and Hank came hurrying inside. "Mags? What happened?"

When Face saw that it really was Hank all energy drained from him and he would have hit the floor had Maggie not held him up. He was relieved but also felt stupid for having putt up such a fuss.

"Hank you're my savior. Help me get him back on the bed."

Together they maneuvered Face on his bed being careful of his many injuries. Face was out cold before they even reached the bed.

"What happened here?"

"He was afraid, or rather terrified, that Sue would come back. He insisted I should go. The poor boy wanted to protect me; I guess he feels guilty for freezing the other time."

"Poor kid, I really don't want to be in his shoes. But she's safely locked away, just saw her and now my deputy is keeping an eye on her, that lunatic." Hank took a closer look at Face. "I came to say goodbye but looking at him, do you think it's such a good idea to let them go? He looks really terrible and weighs almost nothing. I can keep her a little longer, might attract some trouble but our town owes them that much."

"I know, but they need to move. If we raise to many questions and the military starts snooping around here I can't help them if they need me. Besides I think it's good for him to move. I know it doesn't look that way but physically he's healing. What I'm concerned about is his mental state. He expects to see Sue behind every corner."

As they talked they heard a car coming to a stop outside and soon after that heard the chatter between Hannibal and James.

Face, too, heard voices around him but was too worn out and humiliated from his outburst to face anybody. He kept his eyes shut and played possum while listening in.

"Do me a favor, Hank. Can you go tell Hannibal that I need to speak to him in here real quick before the Holmes' come in?"

"Sure…you got it."

Hannibal entered the room a few moments later. He took one look at Maggie's pinched expression and asked, "What's wrong? Is Face okay?"

Maggie shook her head. "He panicked while you were gone. He thought I was Sue…"

"Did he hurt you?" Hannibal interjected.

"No…he didn't lay a hand on me."

"I shouldn't have left you alone with him…" Hannibal didn't mean it to come out the harsh way it sounded. He had accepted that Face had demons that went all the way back to his childhood…accepted and understood…they all had. "He isn't safe."

Face's eyes flew open at those words. Hannibal's back was to him, but he could see the horror in Maggie's eyes as they met his own.

"John…" Maggie tried to warn Hannibal.

"It wouldn't be the first time he hurt somebody …"

"John…" she said louder.

But Hannibal kept on rambling, oblivious to the fact that Face was hearing every word he said. "In Nam he almost snapped a doctor's head and it happened several times that he even wrestled BA to the ground. He is a trained killer, he's dangerous…"

"John, stop it."

"I know you like him and don't want to hear it but it's true. He had issues before and the war took a lot out of him. If it wasn't for our status he could have long gotten help at a VA, he…"

"John, shut up!"

"But…"

It was all Face could take. He bolted out of bed and into the far corner of the room. On his way he took a chair along and had it ready in front of him to use as his defense.

Hannibal moved in front of Maggie and threw her an 'I told you so' look on his way. "Kid, calm down. It's just a dream, you're safe here. Come on put the chair down." He took a step closer and Face only took a more aggressive stand.

"Lieutenant, that's enough, stand down." Hannibal tried his colonel voice which usually got through to Face when he woke up disoriented. But this time it didn't show any results.

"Face, you were dreaming, come on, it's me, Hannibal."

"John, he wasn't dreaming."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Get away from me, just leave, you won't lock me away in any VA. Get out of here, or rather, switch positions with me. Get to the back of the room here and I'll move to the door, nice and slow, I'll leave and you won't ever see me again."

Face started to move to the side and motioned for Maggie and Hannibal to do the same until they had reversed positions. All the time Hannibal was talking. "Face, no, I didn't mean it like that, you know I would never lock you away in an institution."

"Do I? It sounded different when you thought I can't hear you. What did you do to get Murdock out? If I wouldn't spring him, often against your wish, he would rot there."

"Face, no, come on, you know that's not true. I care for you boys and sometimes it's best for Murdock to…"

"You know what? I'm sick and tired of people knowing best what's good for me."

"Face, kid, you know me. I would never do anything to hurt you."

"Do I? I learned a lot of new things about you in the past few days. I'm out of here colonel and don't try to find me."

Face inched closer to the door.

"Face, stop. You're not up to moving that much, you'll reinjure yourself. Lieutenant, freeze."

"I knew you would tell me what's best for me. Sorry colonel, you lost your bet, I'm still not about to obey you. Maggie, I'm sorry, I'll take your car until I get a different one, I'll tell you where to find it."

He pulled open the top drawer of the dresser and grabbed his gun. Though he knew it wasn't loaded, the others didn't. "Don't try and stop me…I'm dangerous, right colonel?"

Face was out the door and down the stairs before he remembered about Ella and James. He heard their voices coming from the kitchen and for a brief moment reconsidered his plan. But much as he wanted to see them, he had to get away from Hannibal and the others so he continued on out the door.

He felt no pain as he ran; he was moving on pure adrenaline. He would never survive being locked inside the VA. And even if Hannibal was telling the truth about not sending him there, they thought he was risky to have him around. 'And they're probably right…it'll do everybody good to have me gone.'

Face was ducking to get into Maggie's car when he heard Hannibal yell, "Face, stop!"

Face sat, pointed his gun out the window to stop him from coming closer and yelled back, "Have a nice life, colonel." He turned the key that he knew Maggie left in the ignition and sped off.

Hannibal stood in place watching the car disappear in a cloud of dust. "What have I done?"

Maggie had gone to the kitchen to get Hank and they came jogging up behind him while Ella and James stood watching from the porch.

"Hannibal?"

"Maggie, I've lost him for good," Hannibal said still looking in the direction the car went.

"No, John…not for good. He needs you…"

"For what," Hannibal interrupted. "To let him down like everybody else in his life has?"

Maggie realized it was time for some tough love. "You can throw your pity party later, Colonel Smith. Right now we have a sick and injured man out there driving a vehicle. You need to go after him before he hurts himself."

"We can take my car," Hank offered.

Hannibal took a deep breath and exhaled slow. Looking at Maggie he smiled, "Thanks, Mags…I needed that." He held out his hand to Hank for the keys. "I'll drive."

* * *

><p>As Face drove and began to calm down emotionally, he also began to feel again physically. His stomach ached and his shoulder throbbed. He knew he had no business being behind the wheel of a car and once he found a safe place to pull over he was planning to do so.<p>

It was a bumpy country road and he did his best to keep the vehicle steady. But he didn't see the large hole in the ground until it was too late.

"Argh!" Face gasped as his body was jostled. His vision blurred for a moment from the pain, and when it began to clear he was looking at headlights coming straight toward him.


	35. Chapter 35

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 35

Murdock and B.A. drove down the road satisfied that they had found the perfect place for the team to move to.

"Hey…isn't that Maggie's car?" Murdock asked seeing the small sedan up ahead in the distance.

"Man…you got eyes like a hawk if you can see that far," B.A. said.

"It's a pilot thing…we're used to looking at small objects from a distance."

B.A. shook his head and muttered but as it got closer said. "I think you're right."

The car swerved suddenly until it was heading directly for the van. "What's she doing?" BA said as he pulled the steering wheel hard to the left.

Face's reaction was slowed by his condition. His mind gave the command 'get back to your lane' to his arms and he pulled the car to the right with all his might. By the time he realized that a) it was BA's van coming towards him and b) he was pulling it in the same direction, his mind gave the command 'noooo, the other side' but it was way too late to put the plan in action.

He remembered to remove his hands from the wheel and fold his arms in front of his body, it hadn't been the best idea to drive with one arm in a cast to begin with but then the arm was a minor problem. Anyway, he didn't want to risk another break. The next thing he heard was the screeching of metal against metal as the sides of the cars collided. The next thing he thought was 'forget about the arm, you're dead meat the moment BA get's his hands on you.'

The car came to a stop inches from a tree by the roadside. Face hurt all over but only for the short time it took until he was out.

* * *

><p>Hannibal had hurried into the direction he had seen the car vanish. It didn't take him long to catch up with it.<p>

"He's amazing. Just now he couldn't get back into bed and minutes later he's running." Hank was looking at Maggie's car in awe.

Face was obviously not in the condition to drive fast. He had visual contact after only some few minutes and thought about how to stop Face when he saw familiar headlights in the distance. It was just about getting dark and he could make out the shape of the van. Coupled with the non standard headlights BA had installed he was sure to know who was approaching them. He thought about signaling BA to block the road but decided against it since he wasn't sure if Face could react fast enough. He didn't want to cause an accident between his men. He decided to just follow and signal BA to do the same once he passed him. However that plan flew right out the window as Face suddenly swerved and headed for the van.

"Oh, no, come on kid, damn."

"Oh god no." Maggie couldn't believe what happened in front of her as she watched from the backseat. Hank was quiet, just holding his breath. All three were out of the car in a flash the moment it stopped.

"My van! I knew this woman doctor cannot be trusted. Maybe she's a good medic but sure not a good driver. What was she doing, freshening up her make up?" BA rumbled on as he got out of the van to survey the damage. "She better be okay so I can tear her apart." It was seldom for BA to rumble like that unless he was very concerned. And right now he was concerned about his van and the doctor who had helped them so much.

Murdock had seen Face from his side of the car and was frozen. Inside his mind he screamed 'Noooo' but outside he couldn't utter a sound. But once BA mentioned for the driver to be okay he jumped out of his trance and into action.

BA saw Maggie walking to the car and let out a sigh of relieve that she was okay. He then turned to his van. "My van, look at this, the whole side…."

"Can it sergeant." Hannibal barked out. He had hurt Face with his words, the last thing they needed was BA to follow suit.

"Hannibal what are you…" BA took in his surroundings well. "Oh no, Faceman!"

Maggie knelt beside the open drivers door. "There doesn't seem to be any new physical damage. Get him out of the car and stretched out in the back of the van. I want to check him over properly."

As Maggie did that with Murdock hovering close, Hannibal was forming plans. "BA, are the cars okay to move?"

"Yeah, just some dents and scratches, no real damage." He felt terrible about his earlier outburst.

"Did you check out the locations?"

"Yeah."

"We'll move there right now if Maggie gives us the okay, move him while he's out. We'll get our things later."

Maggie came over and announced, "He probably passed out from pain and exhaustion. But you can safely transport him…he'll be okay." She paused and looked directly at Hannibal, "At least physically."

"Maggie…"

Maggie held up her palm. "Don't, John…I'm not saying that you meant to hurt him…but you did. Medically I've done all I can… now it's up to you to make him better."

"What she talkin' about, man?" B.A. asked.

"I'll explain later. Tell Murdock we're heading out…he can sit up front with you. I'll be riding in back with Face."

B.A. looked a bit surprised, but he said, "You got it, Colonel."

After B.A. had walked off Hannibal pulled Maggie into a hug. "I wish you were coming with us, but maybe what this team needs is some time alone to work through some things."

"You sitting with Face instead of Murdock is a good start."

"Murdock isn't going to be happy…when Face is hurt he likes to stick to him like white on rice. But I need to let the kid know how much I care…and how I would never turn him away."

"Just talk to him, John. He needs to hear these words from you…as well as see it in your actions."

Hannibal sighed, still holding on tightly. "I know…it's just that this is new territory for me."

"You'll figure it out…all you need is a plan," she teased.

"I'll start by going in the back door…of the van that is."

Maggie chuckled and gave him a squeeze before pulling away. "You better go…I'll explain to Ella and James."

Hannibal slapped his hand to his forehead. "Oh no…I totally forgot."

"They're going to be disappointed, but they'll understand. They just want what's best for Face.

"As do I."

Maggie stroked his cheek. "I know. You know how to reach me if you need me."

Hannibal pulled her back into him and dipper her body. "And I need you." He leaned over and kissed her deeply. He then turned and quickly jogged off toward the van before it became any harder to leave the woman he was falling for.

Maggie watched and placed her fingers to her tingling lips savoring the feeling. "I need you too," she whispered.

The van soon disappeared from her sight and she turned her attention to Hank who was surveying the damage done to her car.

"BA, which one is good for us?"

"There's some remote cabin, it's standing alone by a small lake, belongs to Hank's folks."

"How remote is remote?"

"Close enough to the next town to get help for the Faceman if need be."

"Face doesn't like huts in the forest."

"Ain't a hut fool, it's a cabin. Besides there's a lake."

"Face likes the beach."

"He will like a lake too Murdock, it's calming to sit by the lakeside."

The ride to the place was quiet; everybody hung in his own thoughts. While the two men in front didn't even know what had happened but were wise enough not to ask now, Hannibal was lost in guilt.

'How could I have said this out loud. It's true, he is a trained killer and he is dangerous but we all accepted that long ago. What got into me I'll never know, especially the part with the VA. While I'm sure it would do him good to get some tough therapy it has never been an option and knowing him now it won't ever be, no matter if we get pardoned. But I never discussed this with anyone, why Maggie?'

Soon BA announced that they were there. Face was settled into a bed and Murdock and BA moved out to get supplies. It was over an hour later that Face opened his eyes.

Seeing Hannibal sitting next to the window and looking out he cleared his throat so as not to startle the man. "You're not going to believe the dream I just had, colonel….I…"

Hannibal turned his weary eyes upon Face and his worried look stopped him dead in his tracks.

"I…oh God…I…it…wasn't a …dream," Face stuttered, his breath coming in short gasps. "None…none of…it. It…it was…all…real."

Hannibal jumped over to Face's bedside. "Calm down, Face. It's okay, kid."

"Stay…stay away." It replayed through his mind like a movie on fast forward…Sue brutalizing him, the team forced to hurt him, and Hannibal berating him.

He grew paler by the second, but when he got to the car crash he became translucent. "No…no…I hit…the van…are…are…they…they…" Face was shaking so badly he couldn't form the words any longer.

"Murdock and B.A. are just fine…now just try and slow your breathing." Hannibal again moved closer and made as if to reach for Face's hand, but Face recoiled.

"You…you were right. I'm…I'm dan…danger…ous." Face had a hand on his chest as if it would somehow make the air go in easier. "I've…hurt people…almost hurt…again. No good…I'm no…no good."

Hannibal swallowed a lump in his throat as he watched tears form in Face's eyes and then remain there shining and threatening to spill out at any moment.

"No, kid…that's not true."

"Yes…it…is. I've killed…with…with my…bare…hands."

"We were in a war, kid…you had no choice. It was kill or be killed."

Face looked down at his lap, his voice a mere broken whisper. "You'd be…better…off…if it…was the…latter." The tears finally trickled down his cheeks.

The first thing that came to Hannibal's mind was to bark at the kid to never say such rubbish again. He caught himself just in the nick of time, last thing the kid needed was someone barking at him. Instead he pulled a chair close. Face was propped up on some pillows and now that Hannibal sat his head was only slightly higher than Face's. He leaned forward and gently took Face by the chin to make him look into his eyes.

"Don't you ever say such a thing again, you hear me? We need you, all of us."

Face tried to turn away but Hannibal tightened his grip. All he could do was to cast his eyes away.

"Just look ….mess I made of…of team. "

"We're not a mess kid, I agree we're a bit out of whack right now but we'll only come out stronger than we were." 'At least I hope so.' He mentally added.

"I…no….I….Murdock, BA….where…" Face was growing weaker.

"They're just fine kid. Went out to get us supplies. They'll be back anytime."

"I…I…van…"

"Who cares about the van? It's just…"

"BA"

"Okay, BA cares but it's just a pile of metal and plastic. It can be replaced anytime…." As an afterthought he added "other than any member of this team."

Face was asleep before Hannibal had finished talking.

A short while later the van arrived and Hannibal went outside to meet it.

"What the hell took you two so long?"

"Had to get some parts and paint for the van."

Hannibal said nothing, but the furious look on his face did all the talking necessary.

B.A. stood a bit taller and stuck his chest out in a defensive stance. "What…you got a problem with that, man?"

Hannibal in turn spread his legs and crossed his arms around his midsection. "You bet I do."

Murdock stepped in between the two men. "C'mon guys…don't do this."

"Do what, Captain? Point out that my sergeant cares more about his van than his teammate?"

"Oh no he didn't…" B.A. muttered, pushing against Murdock.

"Oh, yes he did," Hannibal countered, pushing from the other side.

"Hey…hey…hey…Murdock in the middle here!"

"Then move outta the way, fool."

"No way…not until you two promise to play nice."

Hannibal took a step backward. "Fine…one of us needs to put Face first."

"Oh no he didn't," B.A. said once more.

This time it was Murdock who responded with, "Oh yes he did." He took off his cap and scratched his head. "All due respect, colonel, but that isn't exactly fair."

Hannibal knew it wasn't, but he was so emotionally drained that he had to take it out on somebody. "Oh, isn't it? I just got through telling Face that the van didn't matter and you spend hours shopping for paint."

"Now you just wait one minute, Hannibal," B.A. fumed.

There was the sound of a door slamming and they all turned to see Face standing in the door frame. "Stop…please stop. You're…fighting…my fault…"

"Face, what are you doing here buddy? C'mon, let me get you back to bed." Murdock was at his side in a second and just in time to catch the dangerously swaying man and steady him. He turned him around and marched him back inside, it was a slow march, rather an inching across the room, but a march after all. As soon as they were clear of the door Murdock used his heal to firmly close it, maybe a bit too firmly, but it clearly sent a message to the two fighters, 'stay out or face my wrath.'

Hannibal and BA didn't have a problem with that. Seeing that Face was taken good care of and with Murdock gone from their middle they continued right on.

"I should wait for what? Are you going to tell me that the van could not have done without paint for some days?"

"You have no idea what we went through to…."

"And I don't care either. I don't want to hear about how many different shops you had to go to to get the best paint for that darn van."

"Hannibal, I'm warning you."

"Or what?"

Murdock was doing his best to distract Face but it wasn't working.

"Did….did I do a lot of damage? BA's gonna make me pay, just like he promised when we entered Bad Rock for the first time. And what about Maggie's car? Hannibal must be mad…."

"Stop Face, nothing happened, nobody was injured, that's all that counts."

"The van was injured. BA's gonna make me pay. I can hear how mad he is."

"Face, stop it, the van isn't a person and BA is not mad at you, he's mad at Hannibal. Those two are just blowing off some steam, don't mind them."

"No…my fault…my team, I'm destroying my team, it's all I have."

Face looked so lost. "You're not destroying anything here, let's just forget about those two outside, look here, Billy learned some real cute tricks."

Face's pinched expression told Murdock that it wasn't working. "Okay, let me go and switch of the background music. Stay put, I'll be right back." With that Murdock went out, closed the door and went right in between the two fighters.

"…I'm telling you…."

"And I don' wanna hear …."

"Stop it, both of you. You both don't care about Face, all you care about is who's right, you never stopped to think what this is doing to Face."

That did the trick and both men stopped dead.

"Nice to see some reaction," Murdock turned dead serious. "BA, go chop some wood or something, behind the house, Hannibal, go catch a fish, other side of the house. If I hear one more peep from you two I'm gonna send Billy." He turned and stormed back into the house, but when he got there Face wasn't in the bed where he left him.

"Face?" he asked stepping into the room.

It sounded like the faucet was turned on high in the adjoining bathroom and he immediately headed toward it. "Face?" he asked again standing outside the closed door. Murdock lifted his hand to knock thinking Face couldn't hear him but then he heard it…the unmistakable sound of sobbing.

Murdock rested his hand against the door and bowed his head. He remained in that position until he heard the water shut off. Then he stood erect and waited for a clue from inside the room as of what to do next.

"Murdock?"

That was his clue, and an obvious one at that. "Yeah, buddy, I'm here."

"Can you…ah…can you come in…I…ah…"

But Face didn't finish as Murdock had already burst into the room and was kneeling by his side. "You okay?"

Face nodded and smiled feebly. "Yeah…it's just that I got myself down, and can't seem to get back up."

"You're lucky…I usually have the opposite problem. Except while in the air…I seem to have no problem crashing," Murdock joked, while helping Face to standing.

"What's…a few…plane crashes…between friends?" Face forced out as his head swam.

Murdock felt Face sag against him and held on tighter. "Let's get you settled."

Once Face was lying horizontal again he felt much better. "How much did you hear before?"

"Enough," Murdock simply replied. Face blushed and turned away from the pilot. "Hey…it's okay to cry, Face. I just wish you didn't feel you had to hide it…especially from me."

"I know I don't, Murdock…but at the same time I do. Does that make any sense?"

"Perfect…but then again you are talking to a crazy man."

Face looked back at his friend. "You're not half as crazy as they say you are…and you aren't a quarter as crazy as I am these days."

"Cut yourself some slack, Faceguy. You've been through some pretty heavy stuff."

Face sighed loudly. "Yeah, but you guys shouldn't have to carry the load."

Murdock reached out and grabbed Face's hand happy when he didn't pull away. "We don't carry the load…we share it. That's what teams do...that's what families do."

Face squeezed Murdock's hand feeling to emotional to speak. The moment was broken as the sounds of arguing once again filled the room.

"And I'm about to sick Billy on two of our family members right now," Murdock grumbled. "Look, Face, none of this is your fault. I know you don't believe me right now, but it's true."

"You're right," Face paused. "I don't believe you."

The yelling was escalating and Murdock knew he had to get outside and quick. "Will you be alright if I leave you for a few?"

"Yeah…I'm fine. Go...I'm real tired…think I'll sleep."

"In that case, I'll try to get you some quiet…"

Murdock tried to open and close the door quietly since Face was asleep already. His little trip to the bathroom had left him too exhausted to keep his eyes open another minute.

He stepped right between BA and Hannibal, pushing them apart in the process. "Which part of shut up and go your separate ways didn't you get?"

"Get outta my way fool, this is between me and the colonel."

"If this is between you two then why are you shouting loud enough for the rest of us to hear? Face needs his sleep."

"I can't hear it again. Move or I move you fool."

Murdock stood with his mouth open, he couldn't believe his ears. "Did I just hear you right? You can't hear again that Face is injured and needs rest? May I remind you that it was your doing that started the whole episode?"

"Yeah, and I'm tired of hearing that too. It was an accident. And I'm not responsible for that lunatic stalking him, she did so before and would have gotten to him sooner or later without my doing. Now move outta my face." He shoved Murdock back hard enough to make him stumble and fall, hitting his arm on a large rock that happened to be in the way. He grimaced in pain but was not finished yet.

"This was an accident too, isn't it big guy? They happen quite often lately don't cha think?" BA looked down, not knowing what to say, he had lost his temper, something that shouldn't happen, especially for someone who is as strong as he is and puts a lot of force behind the shove.

Turning to Hannibal Murdock added, "And just for the record colonel, what BA was trying to tell you earlier on, we had a police car on our tail as soon as we were ready to head back to you guys. Instead of shaking them at that point we went in the wrong direction for over an hour until his back up arrived and then lost them. We wanted to make sure we lead them as far from here as possible so Face can get his rest without moving again so soon. We took a different route back and happened to come across a car painting shop at about the furthest point from here. We both figured that the police got suspicious because of the damage clearly visible and also that it will be good if someone reported spotting us at that place. That's why we took long and brought everything to repair the van." Without waiting for any response from the two men that looked like schoolboys having been caught stealing the neighbors' apples from the tree, he got up and slowly walked into the house. Only when the door was shut behind him and he saw that Face was still asleep, did he cradle his injured arm that hurt like hell. At that point he was too pissed to inform the other two and didn't want Face to get another thing to put on his conscience. It would just have to wait.

Face began to moan and shift under the covers and Murdock knew what was coming if he didn't bring him out of it. "Face…c'mon buddy…wake up."

"No…stop…I'll be a good boy…please stop."

His voice sounded childlike and ripped at Murdock's heart. "Face…wake up…it's just a dream."

"Don't touch me…please…stop."

'At least he isn't dreaming about Sue,' Murdock thought, but then Face began to cry and it seemed worse. Silent tears made their way down his cheeks as he lay completely still. Murdock moved in closer and said gently, "Face…it's okay…it's okay."

Suddenly Face let out a scream and began to fight an imaginary force. He kicked out his leg and got Murdock square on his injured arm. Murdock fell off his chair and writhed in pain on the floor while Face continued to lash out .

"Ow…please…help…no," Face cried.

"Face," Murdock tried breathing hard. "Face…wake up."

Face continued to struggle against the air.

"Face…I need you…I need you to wake up," Murdock said with all his might and then fell back exhausted.

Face stilled once more, but this time his eyes fluttered open. "Mur…Murdock," he whispered. He looked around for his friend and spotted him on the floor, looking pale and holding his arm. "Oh no…Murdock!" Face got out of the bed and onto the floor as quickly as possible. "How bad did I hurt you?"

"Get…the…others." Murdock wanted to explain that it wasn't Face's fault, but he had to focus on breathing first.

Face crawled to the door feeling weak and drained from his own ordeal. He pulled himself up using the door knob and stumbled into the living room where luckily Hannibal and B.A. were just entering. Seeing Face, Hannibal asked, "What are you doing up, kid?" Noticing his frazzled appearance, he added, "What's wrong?"

"Murdock…hurt…needs help."

Hannibal and B.A. moved past him and toward the bedroom, leaving Face to slide down the wall. 'I'm dangerous…this proves it.'

Murdock was still on the floor, but his back was propped up against the side of the bed. His arm throbbed, but the initial intensity had lessened some.

"Hey fool, you okay?" B.A. asked bursting through the door.

Hannibal was a few moments behind as he had gone for the med kit first. "Where are you hurt, captain?"

"Arm…not sure if it's broken."

"Hold still," Hannibal ordered, feeling up and down the limb for breaks. Murdock winced as he got to the upper arm. "Is that where it hurts?"

"Yeah."

"I don't feel any breaks…can you move it?"

Slowly and with gritted teeth Murdock lifted his arm up past 90 degrees.

"Good…can you bend at the elbow?" Again, Murdock was able to perform the movement. "I doubt it's broken, but I want to get a look underneath your shirt." Hannibal opened the med kit and reached for some scissors to cut up the arm of Murdock's long sleeved t-shirt.

"Good thing you wasn't wearin' yo leather jacket," B.A. said.

"Yeah."

Hannibal and B.A. exchanged worried looks…Murdock was never this quiet…even when injured or sick.

"How'd this happen?" Hannibal asked as he carefully cut through the fabric.

"When B.A. pushed me," he said looking straight ahead, the anger still clear.

"Aw, man. I'm sorry…had no right."

"No you didn't," Murdock agreed seriously, then hissed as Hannibal prodded his exposed arm.

"You got one hell of a bruise forming, but it isn't swelling much. We'll ice it, keep it elevated and then immobilize it for a few days and you'll be as good as new."

"Great."

Another short answer had Hannibal and B.A. unsure what to say next. B.A. helped him off the floor and into a chair while Hannibal busied himself cracking and shaking a cold pack. Once it felt icy he handed it to Murdock.

"Listen, Murdock…we're both sorry. I had no right going off on you two the way I did. I took my stress about Face out on you, and it wasn't fair."

"And I should have controlled my temper…I'm sorry I hurt ya."

Murdock looked at the two men before him and said, "So…you two worked things out?"

They both nodded and Hannibal said, "We had a long talk."

"Yeah…we're good."

Murdock smiled wide. "I knew Billy would get you two under control."

B.A. was about to protest, but a look from Hannibal silenced him.

Murdock's smile disappeared. "Face was having an awful dream before."

"About Sue?"

"No…sounded like from his childhood. He actually kicked my arm…oh no!"

"What's the matter, Captain?"

"He thinks he hurt me…that's why I didn't say anything before…I didn't want him to blame himself. Now he's going to think it's all his fault."

"B.A., go check on Face."

"You got it, man." B.A. came back minutes later looking grim. "I can't find him."

"What do you mean you can't find him?"

"You seem not to get me lately. He's gone. Front door's open but then we didn't close it when we came in and rushed to the fool."

"Okay, let's stay calm. He can't be far." Hannibal wasn't sure if this was advice to his men or rather to himself. "BA, search around the house, I'll look in the house, Murdock, stay put."

"I can manage inside the house, you join BA outside. It's not likely he's inside and you need to find him fast."

"Alright." They went about their tasks and came back minutes later without a clue as to where Face was.

"Okay, we have to search the area. We still have some hours of daylight left. Murdock, you stay here in case he comes back. You can search the area about 100m around the house but not further. BA, how's your leg?"

"I'm fine."

"Will you also be after walking through the forest for hours?"

"I'll be alright."

Hannibal nodded. "We don't know which direction he went. We comb a radius of one kilometer around the house, in his physical condition he can't have gotten further. You know the problem is he's expert in hiding, if he doesn't want to be found we'll have a hard time. Stay in radio contact. Let's move out."


	36. Chapter 36

After Bad Rock

Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!

Chapter 36

'I'm dangerous, have to get away from them….not safe.' With that thought in mind Face stumbled out the door and moved on auto pilot until he collapsed some way into the forest. When he came around he didn't know where he was until he saw Sue's face right in front of him. It all came back to him in a rush. The forest, Sue's hut…he must have escaped somehow. She would be on him in a second. He got up and willed his legs to move faster.

'I can't get away fast enough. Hide, need to hide. Move further in the night, have training, advantage over her.'

The dizziness was bad…it had been hours since he ate or drank anything substantial. But still he put one shaky leg in front of the other and somehow managed to stay upright.

It crossed his mind that he didn't have a weapon. He was barefoot and only wearing pajamas. He couldn't remember where they came from since Sue had chained him up naked but then again he couldn't remember his escape either.

He reached a group of trees that would make a good hiding spot and crawled in between them. As he looked around deciding on a good hiding spot he saw something glistening in the moon light. He removed the leaves that were partially covering the object and found an old knife someone must have lost there. That brought his hope up for two reasons, one, he wasn't completely without a weapon anymore and two, they were not too far into the forest that nobody came there. Chances were he would meet someone who could help. That thought made him stumble on a bit more instead of hiding where he was.

* * *

><p>"Hannibal…come in…Hannibal," B.A. said into the radio, stopping for a quick rest.<p>

"Yeah…I'm here."

"Anythin' yet, man?"

"No…and it's getting dark." Hannibal kept walking as he talked. "We can't stop until we find him…how's your leg holding up."

"I'm fine, man." His leg ached a little but mostly from not being used much since being shot. "I'll walk all night if I hafta."

"Let's hope none of us have to…stay safe, sergeant."

"You too, colonel…over and out."

Hannibal and B.A. soldiered on by flashlight. They called out Face's name and after a while realized that they could hear each other's voices. They had made almost a complete circle around the cabin perimeter with no luck.

Face too could hear the voices coming closer, but in his disoriented state he heard Sue. 'I'll never let her take me alive.' He ran out into the open, holding a knife in his hand and screamed out, "You come any closer, Sue, and I'll kill myself." He put the tip of the blade against his belly and stood in wait.

Hannibal and BA were on opposite sides of Face by this time, looking at each other in horror and frozen in fear. This couldn't be happening.

"Face, Sue is not here, you're safe." Hannibal kept talking soothingly to Face but didn't dare take one step closer.

Face stood frozen, listening to the voice he hated so much, seeing her face before him. She was coming closer, he could feel it, he could make out her moves between the trees. "Stop, not one more step."

"Hey easy Faceman, nobody's moving, just drop that knife."

Face whirled around. How was that possible? He had just heard her on the other side, why was she behind him now? He was ready to ram the knife into his guts when his mind registered that it was two different voices talking to him.

'Not Sue? No…Hannibal and BA…rescue.' He lowered the blade just an inch when a picture of Murdock withering on the floor appeared in front of his eyes and he stopped short.

'Dangerous, I'm dangerous and they know it.' More flashes from the Team hurting him crossed his mind. BA with the cattle prod, Hannibal with the scalpel, cutting him…and then Hannibal holding the burning hot knife. He looked at the knife in his hands as if it was going to burn him and dropped it. The adrenalin shooting through his veins gave him the extra energy to take off running into the dense forest.

"B.A., after him!" Hannibal shouted.

They converged together and ran side by side in the direction they saw Face go in.

"Where he go, man?" B.A. panted after a few minutes.

"No clue…can hardly see in the dark." He grabbed B.A.'s arm to stop him and whispered, "I have an idea…play along. Start running…now."

Hannibal ran in a different direction than B.A. then threw himself to the ground and yelled out in mock pain.

B.A. caught on right away; the colonel was trying to draw Face out by making him think one of them was hurt. He ran back over toward Hannibal and said loudly hoping Face would hear, "You okay, man. Where you hurt?"

"My knee."

"Can you walk on it?"

"Don't think so."

"I'll carry you, man…"

Hannibal smiled to himself; B.A. was spot on for where he was going with this. "No way, Sergeant…you're limping as it is."

Face was watching and listening intently hiding behind down in a ditch off to the side of his teammates. 'I did it again…my fault Hannibal is hurt.' This was the precise reason he was fleeing them to begin with, but now he was torn. He didn't want them to suffer but they had also come after him to hurt him, had hurt him already. What would they do to him if he left his hiding spot to help? And BA, BA was limping again. It was his fault he got shot in the first place and now he had made it worse, BA had been walking too much because of his running away. BA could still make it back but Hannibal couldn't walk. And Murdock could also not come to the rescue, thanks to him. He could not sit there and watch the colonel suffer. No matter what was happening now, they had been there for him for so many years, especially the colonel. If they hurt him now, he deserved it for getting them in danger, for kicking out and hurting them in his sleep, for hurting Murdock, for getting BA shot….the list of crimes ran through his head without end. He wanted to help the colonel but at the same time he was afraid, afraid of his own team. He hurt all over and the mere thought of having to endure any more abuse made him ache more. He wasn't also sure how he was going to help his colonel, he could barely stand on his own.

"It ain't working." BA whispered to Hannibal.

"If only Face was here to help. I don't know what to do without him." Hannibal tried another approach, playing with Face's insecurities and showing him that he was needed.

BA too had another idea. "I hope he doesn't think the fool got hurt because of him. He can't know that I hurt the fools arm."

"Good BA" whispered Hannibal.

'Not my fault? BA hurt Murdock? They…they still want me. No, not an option, I'm too dangerous. But I can help them back before vanishing.' Just as he wanted to get up he heard Murdock.

"Hannibal, BA, Face, where are you?"

Murdock, Murdock was coming to help the colonel, he was no longer needed, Murdock would play his part.

"Damn fool is gonna spoil everything." BA muttered under his breath.

"Stay cool," Hannibal whispered back before calling out, "over here, Captain!"

Murdock came jogging over, the white sling around his arm visible in the moonlight. "What…what happened? Did Face do this?"

Face's heart began pounding; even Murdock now considered him a danger.

"Shut up, fool," B.A. hissed.

"Play along, Murdock," Hannibal said softly.

"Play along with what…why are you whispering?" Murdock was confused having no clue that Face was only feet away. Although he had turned his voice low to fit in with the whispers just in case, he was still talking loud enough for Face to hear.

'It was all an act,' Face thought. He felt stupid, but most of all he felt betrayed. 'Have to get away…they want to hurt me…have to run.' But as soon as he crawled onto his knees to make his move he knew he was in trouble. His vision blurred and his stomach rolled, but still he wasn't ready to surrender.

However his body had other ideas. He moved from knees to feet and took a few tentative steps before crashing down to the ground hard.

The rest of the team heard a thump and turned in Face's direction, but the con man was still too well hidden to be seen.

"Go!" Hannibal ordered.

All Face could do was roll his body out of their path and under the cover of some low hanging branches. But as he did so something sharp stabbed him in the back and he couldn't hold back a gasp of pain.

"Did you hear that? This way." Murdock pointed in Face's direction and went in search.

The branches provided a good cover in the night and Face heard Murdock pass just inches beside him. He could see the beam of the flashlight but luckily he had nothing shiny on him that reflected. Next was BA, he could hear the jingling of the gold. He willed his heart to slow down, he was sure it pounded so loud that it could be heard miles away. He wondered what they wanted to do to him this time. Did BA still have the cattle prod on him? And Hannibal the knife? Were they going for a repetition or had they gotten creative in the mean time and thought up something new? Maybe Sue would join them.

BA too had passed, two down one to go.

"Murdock, BA, you're searching too far."

"What do you mean? You's just standing 'round there."

Murdock rolled his eyes, the last thing he needed was the two of them going at each other again.

"I've been listening. The thud we heard wasn't that far and I never heard a sound other than you two since then. He must be closer."

'Damn.' If possible his heart hammered even more.

"He's the best in silent moves, have you forgotten Nam?"

"I sometimes wish I could. I know what he's capable of but not in his current condition. Besides, if he was able to get away in silence we'll never find him and I can't even begin to think of that."

'Why? They want me gone after all. Well, not before they had their fun.' But he couldn't shake the feeling that Hannibal had meant it different, that he still cared. He couldn't shake it but he could very well suppress it.

"Come back and search the hiding spots. Move as quiet as you can so I can listen for any movements out of place."

'Double damn. They'll find me, oh god, I don't even have the knife anymore.'

BA and Murdock came back shining their flashlights in every corner. They came closer.

He could see them now. Murdock and BA, holding something in their hands. The burning stick…Murdock had the burning stick again. This one much bigger than the last one, and he was barefoot already. Oh no, please, this can't be happening again, not again. BA was holding the cattle prod, this one was even glowing in the dark.

Murdock lifted some branches to look under and there was a fast movement. Hannibal came closer but it was just a rabbit they had startled. He searched on.

Hannibal was now standing closer, he could see him. He also held something glowing. 'Oh no, the knife, the glowing hot knife, no please, why? Just why are they doing this?'

Murdock crouched down in front of his branches ready to lift and shine under. Maybe if he moved further down, towards the back, the light of the burning stick would not catch him. He instinctively brought up his bare feet to protect them as he did so.

Hannibal heard the rustling and motioned for Murdock to be careful. He and BA covered the back of the tree so Face could not make a run for it from the other side.

'Oh no, damn, damn, damn. I'm cornered, they know where I am.' Just a second later the beam of the flashlight caught him.

"Face, am I glad to see you buddy. Come on out there, you're safe."

"Please…please don't hurt me again, please, just leave me, I'll never come back, promised, please."

"Facey, nobody's gonna hurt you, we don't want you to go, just come on out."

"No, I know I'm dangerous, gotta go, please don't burn me with this, please." He hugged his knees, trying to hide his feet from Murdock.

"Sounds like he's gone nuts too." BA whispered to Hannibal and would have caught a harsh glare could he have seen in the darkness. This would be discussed later on.

Murdock caught on to what Face meant and put the flashlight away. "Come on Facey, I'm your best friend, you know I wouldn't hurt you if I'm not forced too."

He had put it away, could he trust him? He was his best friend for a long time, that's true. And he wasn't around when they tried to trick him. "You know I'm dangerous."

"Yes, I know and I don't care. You're only dangerous when you're startled awake or sick and we know it. No worries about that. We'll deal with it. Just come out now."

What he said made sense, and this was Murdock, his trust in Murdock was rooted deep within. And the thing had stopped burning, it was no threat. But there were still the other two.

"They are going to hurt me."

"Who?"

"BA with his cattle prod and Hannibal with the knife."

"No, they don't have anything like that here."

Couldn't he see?

"Mind if I join you down there? It's kinda lonely here."

"Okay." It felt good to have one ally. But then another thought struck, he was getting Murdock in trouble again. They would turn onto the two of them now. Murdock had already crawled under the branches.

"They'll hurt you too. Can't you see the prod and the knife glowing? Just stay behind me, I'll take it on me and you can run." He whispered to Murdock.

It was Murdock's turn to try to get the others to play along with him. "No…we're a team…you and I, muchacho. We'll take them out together."

"Hope that fool knows what he's tellin' the other fool," B.A. said so that just Hannibal could hear.

"Me too," Hannibal responded. "But enough with those kind of comments already…understood?"

"Yeah…but what we gonna do now?"

"Wait…we follow Murdock's lead."

B.A. snorted but Hannibal ignored it and focused on what was happening with his other men.

"Murdock…I don't know. With your arm...how're we going to do this?"

It was amazing to Murdock that Face didn't realize the others could hear them; it was a testament to just how far gone he was. "I have B.A.'s night-night juice in my back pocket. You distract Hannibal while I shoot up B.A. and then I'll get the colonel." To prove his point he reached back and produced a syringe.

"Murdock…wh…why?"

"Why what, buddy?"

"Why're you helping me?"

"Because of all the times you have helped me, Face. I owe you." At least Murdock meant every word of that statement. "Just stay still and wait for them to come toward us."

"Hannibal, you don't think…" B.A.'s voice trailed off.

"I don't know, but if he pretends to hit you with something act as if he does. Let's go."

Hannibal and B.A. moved forward slowly. "Face…it's Hannibal…B.A. and I are coming to help you and Murdock."

"Don't be scared, lil' bro. We ain't gonna hurt ya."

"Murdock…they sound like they mean it," Face said.

Murdock hadn't expected that and was thrown for a second. Should he go with the plan and tell Face that they were trying to hurt him and to stay the course? Or risk telling him the truth…that they really did want to help him…and risk Face thinking he was against him as well if he didn't believe him. 'The truth shall set you free,' Murdock thought. "They do mean it, Face."

"I…I'm so…confused. I can't…think…straight."

Hannibal and Murdock were right before them now and were bending over to remove some branches.

Face was hit with a sudden wave of panic and as his cover was lifted he reached out and grabbed the syringe out of Murdock's hand. He bolted forward and jabbed it into B.A.'s thigh.

"Argh!" B.A. gasped and then fell to the ground in a pretend faint.

Murdock decided to go along with this new set of circumstances and pretended to inject Hannibal in the arm.

"Ah," Hannibal moaned before collapsing.

Face had his back to Murdock and was staring blankly at his fallen friends. He never saw Murdock coming behind him with another syringe…one that actually contained the drug.

Hannibal and B.A. heard Face gasp, and opened their eyes to see him falling backwards and Murdock looking like he had lost his best friend…a very real possibility after what he had just done.

"Ah man, he's gonna hate us forever."

What was it with BA and his comments today? Hannibal put an arm around Murdock's shoulder. "You did the right thing captain. He'll snap out of it and be thankful. Right now we need to get him to safety."

"Yeah sure, Hannibal, I live with those that didn't snap out of it, me included."

"Murdock, you're not paranoid and neither is Face. I don't know what caused this but I know we'll get through it, together."

"You don't know what caused it? Just think back over the last some weeks and then tell me who wouldn't have gone nuts over all the shit that happened. You and me fighting was the last drop that made the bottle spill over. Now what are you standing in my way? Move it, I need to carry my brother to his bed where he can recover."

"I didn't like some of the comments you made earlier on but this one was on the spot. Only I'll carry him, you're limping as it is."

"Forget it man…"

"Argghh, will you two stop it? None of you is able to carry him all the way back alone and my arm throbs too much to be of any help. Just pick him up one of you and then change from time to time. And stop arguing over each and everything."

Hannibal turned to pick Face up first. He was determined to carry him as much as possible as BA had really started to limp more and he didn't need three men down. "God kid you're cold." He shrugged out of his jacket and slipped it on Face's form before picking him up. Once he had him in a fireman's carry Murdock added his jacket to cover as much of Face's legs as possible.

It was a long walk back and BA and Hannibal changed positions several times. Finally they reached the house and Hannibal got a first good chance to check Face over.

"He's made a mess out of his feet, he's still too cold and I don't like the way his belly looks. We need Maggie." and with a look at BA he added "She's gonna tear us to pieces once she hears what went down. BA and Murdock, go get her, I want for her to take an x-ray of Murdock's arm, don't like the way it looks."

"No, I have to be here when he comes around."

"Don't worry, you'll be back by then. What you shot him up with coupled with the exhaustion should keep him out for the whole day, and if not I'll top him up, he needs rest."

"Come on fool, you really not looking too good."

As soon as they were gone Hannibal started to secure the windows so Face would have no possibility to escape. Then he settled in for a long wait, occasionally changing the hot water bottles they had placed by Face's sides.


	37. Chapter 37

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 37

"BA, Murdock…what happened?"

"You don't want to know."

On her puzzled look BA took over. "Just get a picture of the fool's arm and we'll take you back to Face, we can tell you all on the way.

Maggie packed supplies while waiting for the x-ray and while listening to what BA told her about Face's condition. Murdock was awfully quiet and not because of the pain from how it seemed.

"Just as I thought, it's broken but at least it's a clean break and doesn't need setting. Let's keep it immobilized and iced for now until the swelling goes down. I packed everything I need for a cast. Let's go. You'll have to take me along, my car isn't fit to drive."

They left but after some time Maggie told BA to stop.

"What is it?"

"I've seen the way you wince when stepping on the break; your leg is bothering you again, move over and let me drive."

"No way."

"I didn't ask you…I'm telling you."

"I'm fine."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "You sound just like Face. You're not fine…you're leg needs to rest. Now stop the jibber jabber and go sit in the back with your leg up."

"Oooh…she told you," Murdock teased from the back seat. "Nice one, Mags!"

"Shut-up, fool, 'fore I bust yo other arm," B.A. threatened while opening up his door.

"Oh, because breaking this one wasn't enough for you?" Murdock countered as B.A. took a seat beside him.

B.A. propped up his leg and then turned his furrowed brow toward the pilot. "Watch it, crazy man…I ain't in the mood."

"I may be crazy, B.A., but at least I know enough to keep my comments to myself."

"What you talkin' about…you never shut your damn mouth!"

"I do when one of my friends needs me…"

"Boys…stop it!" Maggie pleaded from the driver's seat. "This isn't going to do anybody any good."

But they ignored her and kept going, moving closer as they traded barbs.

"I call them as I see them."

"Well, B.A., I think it's time you get yourself some glasses."

"Don't need no glasses to see the truth."

"If you saw the truth then you would see that the pissing match between you and the colonel is the reason why we're in this situation right now."

"This ain't all our fault and you know it, fool."

"No, not all of it," Murdock conceded. "But Face needs to heal in an environment where he feels safe and secure…"

"Here you go with more of that psycho babble from the looney-bin."

"Make fun of me all you want…it won't change the fact that Face needed us…all of us…and you weren't there for him."

"I ain't been nothin' but there for the Faceman…maybe I got tired of it."

"You don't get tired of helping out a friend," Murdock paused, "Unless of course you don't really consider him to be one?"

That question hung in the air for a moment but would go unanswered as there was a loud popping sound and the van chugged to a halt.

Maggie was actually relieved for the distraction as it had stopped her dueling passengers on the spot. Relief turned to dismay as after a quick examination B.A. announced that he found the problem and could fix it...if he had the right part.

"I can probably make something...but it's gonna take a while."

B.A. went back to get his tools while Murdock picked up the van phone. "Let me call Hannibal and fill him in."

Maggie saw Murdock biting his lip and asked, "What's wrong?"

"No reception."

"You sure?"

Murdock nodded and ran his good hand down his chin. "Which means that Hannibal has to go it alone with Face."

* * *

><p>Hannibal had started to pace an hour ago. They were late and the van's phone was out of reception. While that happened it wasn't common to last for so long. Had they run into a trap and were forced to stop? What made matters worse was that Maggie also didn't answer her phone which meant she was probably with them and whoever had his men. Seeing things from that angle he almost hoped it was the military that had them and not one of their other countless enemies. Of course it could be something as simple as car trouble but that wasn't really a realistic thought. One, they weren't that lucky and two, BA kept the van in peak condition. Much as he wanted to he couldn't go and check on them. He had no car and leaving Face alone wasn't an option, even sedated.<p>

The object of his thoughts started to shift and moan and brought him out of his musings. He had to decide, and fast. Top him up and risk to increase the side effects he would suffer anyway or let him come too and risk him freaking out? There was a good chance he would be back to normal by now, just like before, when he changed personalities anytime he woke up. But there was also a good chance he would be the same and totally freak out because Murdock wasn't around.

He decided on a mixed approach. Not to risk an unnecessary bad reaction to drugs he didn't top up the sedative in Face right away but got a syringe ready just in case. He then fixed a strap loosely over his chest and lower legs to prevent him from falling off the bed should he bolt and settled in to wait.

The wait didn't last long. Hannibal saw the signs. Face was awake but pretending not to be, soldier mode, testing out the situation he was in.

"Hey Face."

He stiffened, not a good sign.

"How are you doing kid?" Hannibal stood by the bed, syringe in hand but out of Face's line of vision.

Knowing that he was caught Face opened his eyes and immediately started to scan the room. Realizing he was alone with Hannibal he tried to bolt but was stopped short by the straps. His eyes shouted betrayal and hurt as Hannibal made his move.

* * *

><p>"Hey big guy, speed it up. Faceman's waiting."<p>

BA looked up from his work. "Don't you fool go trying to tell me what to do."

"Oh, that's right…nobody can tell you anything because you already know it all."

"That's right," B.A. agreed. "And don't you forget it."

"Ya big jerk," Murdock muttered under his breath as B.A. stuck his head back under the hood.

"You wanna say that to my face, fool?" B.A. questioned without bothering to look up.

"Gladly." Murdock began stalking toward the vehicle until a shout from Maggie stopped him.

It was killing Maggie to see these two men at such odds. Normally they would fight constantly, but there was always a playfulness about it. This was anything but playful…it was all too raw and too real. So when the phone finally started to ring after the umpteenth try she immediately used it to distract them.

"Hey…the phone's ringing!" she yelled back from the driver's seat.

Murdock at once forgot about saying anything to B.A.'s face and scurried over to the doctor's side.

"Hannibal…oh thank goodness! Van broke down…B.A.'s fixing it but we won't be back for some time." Murdock was practically vibrating from outside the door; he needed to find out about Face's condition. Sensing this Maggie quickly asked, "How's Face?"

Maggie listened intently then almost jumped out of her seat. "No…don't give him anymore! With his tolerance for drugs you could wind up doing more harm than good." There was another pause and then she said sadly, "Keep him in restraints if you need to…but no more medication until I can examine him."

Murdock felt sick; Face was being held down against his will. How much more could his fragile psyche take?

* * *

><p>Hannibal was just about to administer another dose of the sedative when the phone rang. Now he was left with a very awake Face who was obviously in pain and there was nothing he could do but sit there and watch him.<p>

Face's mind felt clearer than it had before, but still there was a battle raging in his head. Did Hannibal want to hurt him or help him? The straps were an indication of the first of those choices and Face couldn't help but ask, "Han…Hannibal…why?"

Hannibal took Face's hand in his and couldn't help but notice the flinch and the tenseness the simple movement caused. "Oh kid, I won't hurt you, I never wanted to, please believe me. I had no choice." Words couldn't do his feelings justice.

Face was torn. Was it true? Was Hannibal telling the truth? Maybe he really hadn't wanted to hurt him. He had had so many possibilities over the years but never really hurt him, Not in such a way. Sure there were times when he hurt after obstacle courses that he was being pushed through without being up to, but that was usually his doing in hiding his inabilities. The constant teasing also did hurt but it was nothing compared to what was happening now. He was so confused. Murdock had just become his alley only to turn on him a minute later, had injected him with something the minute he turned his back and handed him over to Hannibal so he could have his way with him and hurt him. Or had he? One thing was for sure, Murdock was nowhere in sight, so much for best friend and being there in times of need.

"Face? Think back, kid. You do know that none of us would ever hurt you by choice. Do you need anything?"

Hannibal sounded genuine. They had hurt him in the past, especially emotionally, but not really with intention so it didn't count. But now? Why had they strapped him down and where were the others? Did they really not want to hurt him or was it all just a cruel game? He hurt all over and it was more and more difficult to think. He could get out of this bonds without any trouble. They were so lose it was a joke more than a bondage.

"Why…straps?"

Hannibal had hoped Face wouldn't even notice the restraints.

"It's just to prevent you from falling off the bed and therefore from further injuring yourself."

"Won't fall."

"Would you feel better if I took them off?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, here you go. Do you want some water?"

"Hmhm."

The straps were gone, they were really gone. Maybe they did mean it after all. Okay Peck, just play along, that's what you're good at. Just pretend you would trust them, that nothing had changed.

Hannibal poured a glass of water from a pitcher and held it out for Face.

"Thanks," Face smiled slightly reaching out with a trembling hand.

Hannibal frowned at how badly his lieutenant was shaking. Unsure if it was from fear, pain or most likely a combination of both, it tugged at his heart strings all the same. "Here, let me help you," he offered putting the glass up to Face's dry lips.

The cool liquid felt like heaven sliding down his raw throat and Face readily began to gulp it down.

Hannibal pulled the glass away. "That's enough for now, kid…you don't want to get sick."

Silence hung in the air suffocating the two men until Face actually started having trouble breathing. Now that the restraints were gone he bolted upright in the bed, hand pressed against his diaphragm.

Before Hannibal had a chance to react Face was out of the bed and headed for the door. He made it as far as the hallway before his body caught up with his brain and he started to fall.

Hannibal saw Face stumble and lunged forward to grab him. "I gotcha, son. I won't let you fall." Face sagged back against Hannibal who lowered him slowly to the floor. "You don't have to run from me…I would never hurt you on purpose. You have to believe me, kid."

Face wanted with everything he had to believe Hannibal, but life experience had taught him differently. Yet, if there ever was a person he would trust, it would be Hannibal. Or at least it would have been until…until Sue. But still he felt so safe in his colonel's arms and allowed himself a moment to soak in the familiar scent before saying, "Not running…couldn't breathe…need air."

Without another word, Hannibal scooped the listless Face into his arms and carried him out onto the porch.

Moments later they were again silent, but this time it felt right. Hannibal sat with his back against the house while Face lay supine with his head on the older man's thigh.

"Kid…I messed up. I said things that I didn't mean…they came out all wrong. God, Face…I was just so damn worried about you that I couldn't think straight. And then when I…I…thought I lost you for good…I…um….I…," Hannibal felt the tears forming and could hear his own voice cracking, "I couldn't go on."

Face forced himself to look into Hannibal's eyes. 'He's telling the truth...that or he's a damn good actor.' He was too exhausted to respond and didn't know what to say anyway. His emotions were all mixed up. He used to think that he was a good judge of people and therefore wouldn't get hurt by them. That had been true as he usually distrusted anybody and just wouldn't let them close. But those three men had managed to get past his defenses, the first few lines of his defenses anyway. Over the years now they were caught half way in and halfway out and he just couldn't decide whether to push Hannibal back out and build up all his walls fresh from the start or to allow him to remain where he was and just make sure the remaining layers of walls were secure and without any loose bricks. Right now he was trying to take that decision for Hannibal alone, it would be too much to think about all three of them. For now he settled on letting Hannibal remain where he was, somewhat inside the walls, mainly because he didn't have the energy to push him out, but make sure to not let him in any deeper. The potential for him to get hurt if he let him in any deeper was just too great. He might still want to hurt him as it is and only be pretending now but at least it would be limited to physical hurting.

Hannibal sensed that Face was tired but didn't want to go to sleep. 'He wants to stay in control, can't blame him after what he's been through.'

"Hey kid, you're tired, why don't you close your eyes for a minute and get some rest? I'll keep you safe, promised."

Face was too far gone to watch his masks. The internal fight was plain open for Hannibal to read. He was ready to drop asleep five minutes ago but didn't trust Hannibal enough to do so. With a pang of guilt Hannibal noticed how easily Face would have trusted him in such a situation just days ago and how his own doing and words had changed this. Not the physical hurt Sue forced him to administer but the mental hurt he had caused with his words and actions. He instinctively reached out to stroke a hand over Face's hair and winced at the flinch the simple gesture caused. The damage was obviously done.

"It's soon going to be cold kid and you're not really dressed well, want to go back inside?"

"No." No, he didn't want to go back inside any hut in any forest, not for the rest of his live if he was given a choice. Why had they brought him back to a place that so much reminded him of Sue? While thinking about it exhaustion won and he fell asleep. Hannibal removed his jacket and draped it over him. They were still sitting this way when the van came back.

Murdock practically slid open the door and jumped out before Maggie had come to a complete stop. He came running over and was about to speak until he noticed that Face's eyes were closed.

"It's okay," Hannibal said softly. "He's exhausted…hasn't stirred for close to an hour."

"How is he?"

Hannibal shrugged. "Better than before…or at least I think he is." Maggie walked over to join the group. "I guess Maggie will be the best judge of how he's doing."

"Looking at the position the two of you are in, I'd say it's a vast improvement from when we left," Maggie said with a smile.

Hannibal looked down at Face's peaceful demeanor. "Agreed." Looking back up he saw the way Murdock was cradling his arm. "How're you doing, Captain…and why wasn't B.A. driving?"

"Murdock's arm in broken but just needs a cast," Maggie started and then paused to look around for the Sergeant who was still sitting in the van. "And B.A. needed to give his leg a break."

Hannibal sighed. "And possibly his temper, too?"

Murdock hung his head. "We kinda got into it…"

"Kinda?" Maggie's said with raised eyebrows. "If that was 'kinda', I'd hate to see when you have a real fight."

"It's his attitude…it's like he doesn't care about Face at all."

Hannibal nodded sympathetically. "As for the attitude, we didn't nickname him 'Bad Attitude Baracus' for nothing. And you know how much he cares about Face."

"I thought I did, colonel…but you didn't hear the things he said…or see the look on his face." Murdock turned toward the van. "I mean look at him…he doesn't even care enough to come over and see how Face is doing."

As if on cue, B.A. slid himself out of the van and began walking toward the group. He didn't even stop to look at them as he passed by. Hannibal thought about saying something to the big guy, but decided to wait it out. The last thing any of them needed was another argument…especially Face.

"See what I mean?" Murdock hissed.

Maggie put her arm around Murdock. "Why don't we see about getting that arm of yours casted? Then maybe we can get Face inside so I can examine him."

Murdock nodded and the pair started for the door, but were blocked by B.A. returning…a bucket of car paint in hand.

The paint may have been black, but Murdock and Hannibal saw red. Maggie didn't like what she saw either but knew she needed to keep her head on or this could get ugly. However, before she could say anything Hannibal beat her to it.

"Sergeant, you won't paint that darn car now…."

Maggie quickly cut him off. "Not unless you want to do so while sitting down. I thought I told you to get off that leg. If you want to do something go and get a warm blanket and drape it around Face and then go and lay down." She used her best command voice hoping he would have enough wits about him to not start arguing now.

BA just glared at her and she thought it wasn't going to work when he turned and marched back into the house.

"Thanks Mags, Face doesn't need this."

"No, he doesn't", she sighed, "let's go Murdock. This time they made it through the door before they once again stood face to face with BA, blanket in hand.

"Outta my way fool."

"Why don't you get outta my way big guy?"

"Murdock, get over there at the table, I'll get my supplies." She gave Murdock a shove in the pointed direction and therefore out of BA's way before turning herself to get to the kitchen for a bowl and water.

When BA was out of earshot Murdock turned to her. "Why do you support his attitude?"

"I don't and I'll have a few words with him when the time seems right and I'm sure you and Hannibal will have too but now we don't need another fight."

"And that means he can get away with his behavior?"

"Think Murdock, what would Face think when the first thing he hears upon waking up is you two fighting?"

BA stepped out of the door and without a word or even a look at Hannibal went over to the two, very gently draped the blanket around Face without disturbing him and returned inside.

Hannibal looked at the sleeping figure on his lap and thought, 'so BA cares after all, there's hope for this team.'

B.A. stormed past Maggie and Murdock and went straight for his bedroom. Slamming the door behind him he threw himself onto his bed and pounded it with his arms and legs like a child having a temper tantrum.

He continued to beat on his mattress until his limbs ached and he was covered in sweat. But still he felt no better…just more tired and defeated.

B.A. hated seeing his family hurt especially when there was nothing he could do to fix it. It ate away at him from the inside and made him lose control. Normally he would just keep to himself as much as possible and let one of the others handle things. He would help, of course, but from the sidelines.

But this situation was different. Face had been hurting for such a long time now and so badly that all hands were needed on deck. The problem was that his hands seemed intent on strangling the first person that stepped in his line of vision.

He was so angry that at times he didn't recognize himself. He knew he had a temper, but in the past it had always been directed at a deserving recipient. This time he was taking it out on his friends and none of them did anything wrong…especially Face. 'No…the only one guilty is me. I hurt Face to start this whole damn mess…and now I'm just makin' it worse.'

B.A. knew he shouldn't be angry, but he didn't know how to shut off the feeling. He wasn't one who could hide his emotions like Face or joke them away like Murdock. They read all over his face and showed through his body language.

B.A. lay on the bed staring at the ceiling for a long time and must have drifted off. He woke up to the sound of somebody moaning in the room next to him.

'Face,' he thought. There was no anger this time…just immediate concern.

He slid off the bed and made his way into the hall and peeked into the room to see Maggie examining Face.

"Keep still Face or it's gonna hurt more than necessary. You made a mess out of your feet, next time if you decide to run away put on some shoes." She talked in a joking tone trying to get Face's thoughts away from the pain as she was removing debris that had entered the existing wounds on his feet as well as the new cuts caused by sharp rocks.

Maggie had started at his feet as a kind of peace offer. She had actually wanted to examine his belly first but that would have meant prying his hands away that he held protectively in front of his middle. He was running a light temperature and she could imagine where that came from. Right now he was laying on the kitchen table that had been covered with a thick blanket. He was curled up on his side and obviously in pain, more pain than Maggie caused at his feet. He even still wore the same pajamas he had had on when he run away.

Hannibal stood next to him trying to sooth him with words while Murdock was sitting at the head of the table, resting his now casted arm in his lap while the other hand strolled over Face's hair.

Eventually Maggie was done and needed to move on to Face's belly. "Let me have a look Face."

Face shook his head no and curled up even more.

"C'mon kid, let her look, we can't have you getting worse." Hannibal tried to pry Face's hands away but didn't stand a chance on his own. Murdock wasn't of much help with only one good arm either and Maggie needed her hands free to examine him.

"Come on Face, don't force us to tie you down, just let me look."

Upon hearing Maggie's words BA stepped into the room and into Face's line of vision. He went over to the table and took hold of Face's waist. Turning him to his back and immobilizing him he spoke very gently to Face. "C'mon little bother, no one's gonna hurt you, we're all going to protect you."

Face only saw Murdock's cast and now BA's limp. "Don't…deserve…it. I understand…why you…hate me…B.A."

B.A.'s mouth fell open and he was rendered speechless. His eyes did the talking for him, however, as tears began to well up in the big brown orbs.

Maggie cleared her throat and said softly, "I need to get something from the other room…I'll be back." She realized the foursome needed some time alone and that she would only cause them to hold back.

Hannibal nodded his thanks and waited before the doctor left the room to turn his attention back to his men. As difficult as it was, he forced himself to stay quiet and let the others dictate where this conversation was headed.

Murdock looked at B.A. and saw him wipe a tear off his cheek and any previous irritation vanished. He realized how difficult it would be for the muscle bound man to speak through his emotions so he started out, "B.A. doesn't hate you, Face. Right, big guy?"

"Right…we family, man." He wiped at another tear trying hard to get control of himself.

Hannibal exhaled a breath he had been holding and patted B.A. on the back. To say it was rare to see B.A. cry would be an understatement.

"You…you don't…have to…say that," Face panted out; lying on his back was making the pain in his stomach grow.

"No…I don't. But I want to. I been such a jerk." He looked from Face to Hannibal to Murdock. "If anybody should be hatin', you three should be hatin' on me."

"After all the things we have been through over the years, the fact that we are still together proves that nobody in this room hates any other person in this room."

"Hannibal's right," Murdock agreed. "And while lately you have been one heck of an angry…cantankerous…grumpy…crabby…unreasonable…"

"Murdock…we get it," Hannibal smiled.

"…Pain in the you-know-what mudsucker," Murdock finished. "I still love ya."

B.A. squeezed Murdock's good arm. "I owe y'all a big apology…'specially you Faceman. Ain't none of this ever been about you."

Face smiled and for the first time in weeks felt completely safe with the team. "S'okay. I'm such…a mess…argh…I know…ow…hasn't been…ah…easy…" Face's voice trailed off as the pain was becoming unbearable.

"We can all talk more later…I think Maggie better get in here. Murdock…can you get her?" Hannibal was holding Face's hand and didn't want to let go.

"Please…hurry."

The fact that Face was asking for Maggie to examine him spoke volumes.


	38. Chapter 38

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 38

Maggie had just been outside the door and rushed to Face as soon as Murdock opened it. Face had let go of Hannibal's hand and was curled up on the table as before, obviously in terrible pain.

"Face, where exactly does it hurt?"

"Belly…arghhh…can you give me something?"

"I need you to be more specific, your navel or a different place?"

"All over, please….painkiller."

"I need to look at you first. Come on turn to your back."

If possible Face curled up even more and shook his head 'no'. BA once again grabbed him by the waist and turned him around while Hannibal pried away his hands and Maggie unbuttoned his pajama top.

So much for feeling safe within his team. Past pictures flashed in front of his eyes. "No…no more…please."

"Shh kid, nobody's gonna hurt you."

Maggie removed the bandage and did her exam as fast as possible. "You can slowly leave him now. He can curl up but no fast movements." As the hands holding him down loosened their hold Face curled up again and the pain slowly lessoned to an extent he could see more than just white. He was breathing hard and Hannibal didn't like it one bit. He was at his head trying to help him through the agony with gentle words and touches.

"John, how did he react to the sedative?"

"Quite well for Face's standards. He was lucid but dizzy, had trouble breathing and felt he had to get outside for enough air but he wasn't sick."

"Okay, Face are you with us?"

"Hmm hurts."

"I know. I'll give you a light dose of a heavy pain killer. It should help you to get it under control and hopefully make you sleepy but not sick."

First he had asked for the painkiller and now he didn't even object to the needle coming his way. The three remaining men were more than worried.

As Maggie administered the drug she kept talking to Face. "I'm pleased you didn't do any new damage. I know it hurts like hell now but it's just the result of moving around too much and I would guess you landed on it too. It's irritated and red but the stitches are still in place and it doesn't look like the infection has increased. The pain is probably coming in waves. If you don't get sick from it I can give you a dose of the painkiller every eight hours. If it makes you sleep that's a good thing, what you need most now is rest. Between your belly, feet and numerous other injuries you'll be in a world of pain for some time. As soon as the medicine kicks in and you can bear it I want to clean your wound with a disinfectant to make sure we keep the infection in check."

Face gave a small nod to indicate he had understood but that was all he could do as he was breathing through the pain. Some minutes later he gave Maggie the go ahead for the cleaning but passed out half way through the procedure as a mixture of fresh pain and side effect of the painkiller.

"John, help me get him settled in his bed."

"I can take him."

BA stepped forward but Maggie stopped him. "You're limping as it is. Go and sit down, you too Murdock."

Together they carried Face to his bed. "So he's healing alright?"

"Physically. Mentally is a different thing."

"I know, Mags. I'm almost afraid for him to wake up next."

"Afraid you'll say the wrong thing?" Maggie asked while pulling a sheet up over the sleeping man.

Hannibal sat down hard into a chair by Face's side. "In this situation I'm not sure there is anything I could say to make things right."

Maggie put an arm on his shoulder and squeezed. "John, just listen to him when he wakes up…let him guide you as to what he needs from you. Now I better go check on my other two patients…call if you need me."

By the time Face woke up next Hannibal had been joined by Murdock and B.A.. Face cracked his eyes open into slits and saw B.A. with his leg propped up and an ice pack on his thigh, Murdock's casted arm elevated on a pillow, and an exhausted looking Hannibal. No longer afraid of what the team would do to him, he was more concerned with what he had done to the team. 'No more,' he thought. 'You're the con man of the group…prove it.'

"Hey," Face smiled.

"How're you feelin', man?" B.A. asked.

"Good…much better."

Hannibal could tell right away that something was wrong with Face…he seemed too right. He was trying to pretend everything was back to normal and was doing a pretty good job. Except they knew him too well to fall for it. "Can we get you anything?"

"A shower and a shave…I must look like a complete mess."

Face kept his lips in a wide grin and his trembling hands under the sheets, but they didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"You need another painkiller, Facey?"

"No…I feel fine."

Hannibal had been prepared for Face to wake up distraught and an emotional wreck…but this he hadn't expected. He decided to follow Maggie's advice and let Face guide them, but how long Face would be able to keep up this act was unknown.

Face kept his lips stretched into a smile. The medicine was wearing off fast and the pain getting worse by the minute. He wanted nothing more than to curl up on his side but that would mean showing pain and he couldn't do that. The nuns had always said it and it was true, nobody wants to take someone weak. If his estimation was right it was anyway still a long way to go to complete the eight hours until he would be allowed another shot, he might as well smile through it.

"Are you up to drinking some water kid?"

"Sure, good idea." 'Oh god, no.' His belly ached so bad he didn't even want to think of drinking.

"I'll get you a cup, be just a minute."

With Hannibal gone from the room there was silence once again but he returned soon. "Sorry, doc says to wait for a day. She wants your belly to settle down before anything goes in. Says you get enough liquids through the IV and if your mouth is dry we can wet it with a sponge."

"Nah, I'm fine." Puhh, saved last minute by the doctor.

Hannibal was having a hard time to let Face lead. His lips were obviously dry but he didn't want to cause any trouble, had done enough wrong in the last weeks. But it was always good to ask the doctor, especially since Face looked worse and was trying to cover it with an even broader grin.

"Murdock….how's….Billy?"

"He's sleeping in BA's van, but don't tell the big guy. He'll only go and kick him out."

"I'm right here fool and there ain't no dog in my van."

'Good move lieutenant, deflecting tactics. Get them busy with themselves and they won't watch you too closely.' "Nature's calling. I'll be back in a minute kids."

Hannibal left the room and BA and Murdock were busy bickering with each other. Face felt relieved not to have to put on his brave front for a moment but the moment passed too fast as Murdock directed his attention back at Face.

"Sure you don't need anything, muchacho?"

"No… fine. You look…tired."

"You sure look worse than us and that after sleeping for over seven hours."

That long? It couldn't be.

Hannibal had done some discussing with Maggie and she was ready to burst into the room, however they decided it best to let things look as if Hannibal wasn't involved. So he returned to the room and Maggie followed five minutes later.

"You two, off to bed…Face needs his sleep. John you can settle in here if you want but don't disturb him. Face what are you doing on your back, lay on your side. It's time for your next party cocktail."

Maggie was an angel, getting him out of this position without looking weak. He was so relieved to be curled up again that he even forgot to protest against the painkiller. Murdock and B.A. lingered outside the door not wanting to leave before Face was out.

As the drug began taking effect Face fought to stay awake. Though he wanted to escape the pain, he didn't want to lose any more control over himself. Try as he might, however, his lids began to droop and his words to slur.

"I'm…fine…no…pain. S'okay to…leave…me…lone. Don't…need…anything….I….I…" Face's eyes shut mid-sentence and his head fell to the side.

"Aw man…he fakin' for us again," B.A. said shaking his head as he came back into the room with Murdock by his side.

"I take it you have seen this a time or two?" Maggie questioned placing a hand on Face's forehead and frowned at the warmth.

Hannibal nodded. "A time or two."

"Or three or fourteen," Murdock added.

B.A. thought back. "Remember that time in Chicago a couple of years after Nam when we went to visit mama?"

"How could we forget?" Murdock asked shivering slightly at the memory.

"It was the first time we thought it was safe enough to visit mama and Face didn't want to mess it up for me. That's why he didn't tell us he fell down the stairs. And I insisted on going with the van, must have been two days of hell on him."

_"I feel like a kid at Christmas. You all make sure you're here in time tomorrow morning. I told Mama we'll be with her for Thursday's supper."_

_"Sure BA, sure. I can't wait to sit in the van for two days." Face said with as much sarcasm as he could muster. "C'mon Murdock, you can bunk with me so I don't have to spring you again tomorrow morning."_

_Hannibal was amused by the banter so far but interjected now. "No, Murdock will bunk with me. Leaving the two of you together without anything doing is asking for trouble. I 'm not in the mood to spring the couple of you from a cell before we leave."_

_"Oh great, can I watch Bugs Bunny, pleeaassseee."_

_Face looked somewhat hurt by Murdock's enthusiasm but quickly covered it. "Good, I can go out with Linda then. See ya all." Hannibal and Murdock left soon after and BA continued cleaning the van and checking it over for the umpteenth time._

_Face sat alone on the large balcony of his current apartment and watched the stars. He didn't even know any Linda but of course the others wouldn't ask. It was just a name and they anyway thought he was changing girls every day so why bother asking if it wasn't going to last anyway. It was late and he should probably sleep but he wasn't feeling like doing so and he would anyway have nothing doing but sleep for the next two days if it wasn't his turn to drive. He was tired though and decided to go downstairs for some coffee. At the top of the stairs he tripped over the feet of the life sized bugs bunny he had gotten for Murdock, knowing that this week they showed bugs bunny special on TV, and parked there to greet him first thing when he came up to where the TV was. Face fell to the bottom of the stairs and lay there motionless for a while until he could breath normal again. _

_'Damn. That hurt.' His whole torso was on fire. He went over to the big mirror to check the damage. As he lifted his shirt he could see nice red patches all around his torso and on his arms but especially along his right side. 'Great, I'm gonna look like one of Murdock's purple cartoon characters.' He forgot about the coffee, the pain would anyway not let him sleep now, and concentrated on finding a comfortable position to sit. After a while he gave up and decided he had to get out of his predicament for the next two days. He was still thinking up his story when BA answered the phone._

_"Uhmm BA, I won't be coming along…"_

_"What do you mean sucker?"_

_"Ahh…not in the van…I'll fly over and meet you there."_

_"You too good to sit in the van with us?"_

_"No, no…uhmm…it's …ehh…Linda's mother wants to meet me tomorrow night."_

_"What for do you need to see her mum, you anyway not gonna stick around."_

_"Look BA, I'll take a plane Thursday morning, I'll be there before you, you just need to swing by the airport and we'll arrive at your mothers together."_

_"No way man, Mama wants to see all of us, including you and I know you just want to find an excuse."_

_"No BA I…"_

_"Knock it off sucker, you'll be here tomorrow morning or I'll come and knock you off." _

_The next thing Face heard was the dial tone. 'That went well.'_

_Morning came and he was feeling terrible. He checked his image again and didn't like what he saw. He would have loved nothing more than to take one of those heavy painkillers that always made him sleep for hours and curl up but that wasn't an option if he was going to drive. And if he told Hannibal now he would demand to check him over and then he would make him take the drug and stay with him and BA's trip would be canceled. Much as he was annoyed with BA right now he couldn't do that. But at least he could annoy him a little. On his way to the garage he grabbed bugs by the leg and dragged him along. Luckily it was so early that he didn't meet anyone. He knew Murdock would be busy with nothing else for the drive therefore would be out of his and Hannibal's hair therefore the colonel would approve and therefore BA would have to take it along, no matter how annoyed he was, and annoyed he would be._

_The plan worked, he pushed bugs bunny in Murdock's way as he came to hug him and climbed in his seat. To say that the ride was uncomfortable would be an understatement. Especially when it came to his turn to drive. Murdock was too busy to notice anything. BA noticed a wince here and then but thought Face was sulking and showing how uncomfortable the long ride was. Hannibal too thought so but as they neared Chicago and the winces became more frequent he paid closer attention to his lieutenant. He could tell something wasn't right but couldn't place it yet and knew better than to ask and make Face hide whatever it was even more. But when they arrived at BA's mothers and she hugged each of them for welcome Face wasn't fast enough to dodge it and couldn't hide a gasp._

_"Face, what's wrong with you?"_

_"Nothing."_

_"You don't gasp because of nothing."_

_"I just didn't expect her to be as strong as BA."_

_"Lift your shirt."_

_"Come again?"_

_"You heard me."_

_"No."_

_"Lieutenant!"_

_"Look, it's nothing, it was a long drive and she took me by surprise and we just came here and she wants to get to know us and all and…"_

_"Stop trying to deflect me Lieutenant, lift your shirt."_

_"No."_

_"Face."_

_"No."_

_"BA."_

_BA grabbed him from behind and Hannibal lifted his shirt. They all gasped at what they saw and Face directed his gaze to the ground._

"He was black and blue all around but especially down his right side. BA's mom was shocked." Murdock filled in Maggie.

"He was in for another ride, to a clinic a bit away from BA's mom to get an x-ray. Turned out he had three cracked ribs and deep bruising. The ribs couldn't be tapped because of the bruises and he ended up spending the rest of our stay in bed, doped up with pain killers and anti inflammatory drugs. He can't remember much of our week long stay." Hannibal still frowned at the memory.

"Sucker said he didn't wanna admit how clumsy he was but he can't fool me."

"Doesn't mean he won't try."

"Go to bed now you two, Face needs quiet and rest, I don't like the way his temperature is rising, keep a close tab on that John."

Hannibal sat reading a book and doing regular check of Face's forehead every so often. Exhaustion claimed him sometime after midnight and he drifted off.

Face's fever, however, had risen and by morning when he woke he was covered in sweat and lightheaded. Even the small act of turning his head to the side seemed to take effort, but when he did he saw Hannibal slumped to the side in his chair with an open book on his thigh.

Face knew he was sick, but that didn't mean the others had to be privy to that information. 'Think Peck…think.' But it wasn't easy when his brain felt like Jell-o and the room refused to stay still.

Spotting a full glass of water on the dresser next to him a light bulb went off and he reached for the glass. His stomach protested and he almost gave himself away with a scream, but caught himself and bit down on his lip as he slowly lowered himself back with the water in hand.

He waited what felt like an eternity until Hannibal started to stir and then poured the glass of water on himself to hide his own sweat. "Damn…I'm such a klutz," he muttered hoping Hannibal would hear.

Hannibal's eyes shot open and he immediately sat up. "You okay, kid? I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"I'm fine…just a bit wet," Face said holding up the now empty glass.

Hannibal stood and chuckled, "a bit wet…it looks like you poured the whole glass on yourself!"

'I did,' Face thought, but instead smiled sheepishly. "The darn thing slipped right out of my hand."

"Hold on…I'll go grab some towels."

Face sighed with relief when Hannibal left the room and he could remove the grin from his face and stop the act even if just for a few brief moments. It was exhausting and took every ounce of energy he had in him, which wasn't much these days.

But all too soon Hannibal was back and, as a result, so was his fake smile.

Hannibal stood next to the bed and eyed his lieutenant warily; he wasn't buying this act for one moment. It only took one look into Face's glassy eyes to see that he was ill.

"What?" Face asked feeling Hannibal's eyes boring into him.

"Huh?" Hannibal was brought back from his thoughts. "Sorry…here are the towels. Need any help?"

"Nope, I'm good."

Hannibal paused unsure if he should put an end to the charade and lay all the cards out on the table. But then he decided to call Face's bluff. "Okay then…you need to get out of those wet clothes. While you do that I'll go grab some dry sheets for the bed."

It took all his willpower to leave the room and Face to his own devices. He didn't plan on going far and was joined by Murdock and B.A. who were walking down the hall.

"How he doin', man?"

Hannibal shook his head. "Not good…but he won't tell you that."

"Want me to talk to him?" Murdock asked.

"Not yet…we have to wait for him to be ready to admit he needs help."

They wouldn't have to wait long, but even the short wait felt so wrong to them. They were all outside, well able to help, but knew it would achieve nothing.

'Get out of your wet clothes, come on then Peck, you can sure do that. You created the mess, help cleaning it up.'

Unbuttoning his top proved to be more difficult than he thought. With one arm in a cast and the other shaking so badly from the simple exercise. It took him full five minutes to undo the few buttons and he was sweating and totally wiped out afterwards.

'Okay Peck, part one done. Now what? Slip it off your arms or get out of your pants first? Oh man, right now I would love to have a cute female here to help me with the task. Not gonna happen soldier. So what now? Okay, pants it is, give the top a rest.'

Face pushed at his waistband and tried to lift himself up at the same time. He managed to push his pants down a little but only by wiggling his body since lifting wasn't an option. But wiggling was painful and he saw stars after only a few centimeters of progress.

After a short period of recovery he decided o give the top another try. With some effort he managed to slip the top off of his shoulders and half way down his left arm but then got stuck.

'Great, all I managed was to tie myself up. Great doing Peck, yeah, you're a valuable member of the A-Team, at least you managed to capture one of them, yourself. Lynch would be proud. Maybe you get promoted. Damn, this is nuts. And it hurts.'

A low moan and a quiet 'ow' was all the others heard from outside and Hannibal still held them back. Face had to ask for help sooner or later. If they burst in now it would only be humiliating for him. But the wait was tearing at the men.

As the moans got louder Murdock had enough. "Face, buddy, you doing okay in there?" Hannibal glared at him.

"Yes, fine….uhmm…Murdock?"

"What is it Face?"

"Actually…uhmm…no, no I'm….I'm not so okay…uhmmm….I need….uhm….can you …I mean….I need a hand here."

Murdock smiled triumphantly at Hannibal as he stepped around him to open the door. "It's your lucky day muchacho, I have one hand left." He immediately changed his opinion about the lucky part as he took in Face's appearance. He was pale and covered in a sheen of sweat and completely trapped inside his clothes.

Murdock wanted to keep the mood light so he forced a grin and teased, "Nice look, Faceman. You're always ahead of the trends." He then shut the door behind him figuring that his best chance of breaking down Face's walls would be by putting some up between him and the other two in the hall.

"I just need some help…then you can go."

"What makes you think I want to go? I thought maybe we can hang for a while." Murdock was well aware that Face was trying to push them away…all the more reason to hold on tight.

"Um…yeah…okay." All Face wanted was to be alone so he could be free to suffer without an audience, but he couldn't hurt Murdock by telling him to leave.

Murdock used his good hand to help unravel Face taking note of the heat radiating off his skin but not making mention of it. He could also feel the tremors through his body and figured it was as much from the mental strain of trying to keep it all together as it was from the physical illness.

Once Face was in some dry clothes Murdock felt the sheets relieved that they weren't nearly as wet as the man in them had been. There was no way Face would be able to get of the bed without collapsing. And while Murdock's goal was to make Face admit he needed help, he didn't want to further injure the man in the process.

"These sheets can stay for now…just scoot over a bit away from that wet spot."

'Easier said than done,' Face thought, but he ever so slowly slid his body to the side schooling his features.

Murdock took a seat in the chair previously occupied by Hannibal. "So, Facey, that's another fine mess you've gotten yourself into," he said impersonating Oliver Hardy. "How'd you manage that one?"

"I…um…I'm just a bit stiff…you know…and I…well kinda…um got…stuck," Face stuttered.

Murdock nodded understandingly gaining a whole new appreciation for all those times Dr. Richter had been so patient with him. He also remembered those times over the years when Face, too, had been understanding and tolerant of his episodes. 'I can never pay him back…I owe him this much to let him be.'

"Thanks…um…for the help."

"It was nothing…I've helped many a man escape strait jackets over the years…myself included. Even one handed they are no match for a psychiatric ward veteran like myself."

Murdock didn't expect what Face did next. He had expected a small smile or a witty comment about him being nuts or even a defense that he, Face, didn't need a straight jacket but instead Face turned away from him. Murdock was aware he was walking a fine line here but still, this was Face, his best friend. He had always been able to go along with his jokes or at least tell him to stop it. It was so not like Face to just turn away without a word that he physically recoiled and took some steps back from the bed.

"Face I…I'm sorry…I just wanted to keep the mood light, I mean, just forget what I said, okay?"

No reaction at all. Face didn't turn around and he also didn't say anything.

"Face, buddy, please talk to me."

Nothing. Murdock stood in the middle of the room unsure of what to do. Did Face want him to leave or stay?

"Face I... uhmm…I'll wait outside, okay? Just yell if you need me." He was about to turn when he noticed the slight tremors going through his friends body.

"Face?" He stepped closer again and peeked over the curled up man. "Oh no."

Face had enjoyed Murdock's joking right up to the moment the wave of pain hit him. He had used a trick when Hannibal was asleep but Murdock was awake so he decided to turn away from him before biting down on his arm to stop himself from screaming. When Hannibal was in the room he had used the blanket to bite on but that would have been too obvious now.

'Damn, stop. It hurts.' The previous waves of pain had not lasted that long, also this one seemed more intensive.

"Face, come on, let go off your arm, you'll bite through your skin. Here, take the blanket instead." It was way too late for that. Face knew he would scream the moment he stopped clenching his jaw around his arm.

But Murdock didn't take no for an answer. " Come on buddy, you have only one good arm left, if you bite it off how will you hold the financial section of the newspaper tomorrow morning?" Murdock talked while rubbing small circles on his back. Slowly the pain let up and Face let go off his arm.

"See, we the one handed pirates have to stick together."

"Go."

"You want me to go?"

"Go….get Mag…" The next wave of pain hit before he could finish the sentence.

Murdock ran out the door and almost bowled over Hannibal and BA who were listening in.

"Where's Maggie? Face is asking for her."

"She went into town for some groceries," Hannibal said.

"Damn!"

"What's wrong with the Faceman, fool?"

"Dunno…but he's doubled over in pain."

Hannibal began to reopen the door, but Murdock stopped him. "I need to be with him."

"I'm not sure he's ready for that yet."

Hannibal dropped his hand off the knob and began to pace a small path back and forth.

"We can't just stand here, man…ain't right," B.A. grumbled.

"I know B.A.," Murdock sympathized, "But it also isn't right to barge in there when he doesn't want us to just to make ourselves feel better or to ease some guilt."

They knew Murdock was right but none of that mattered seconds later when they heard the sounds of feet scurrying across a floor followed by a door slamming. All bets were off and they bumped into each other in their haste to get inside the room.

There was the click of the bathroom door locking before Hannibal who was in the lead could get to it.

"Face…open the door!" Hannibal demanded pounding with his fist.

There was no reply, only the sound of Face retching…repeatedly.


	39. Chapter 39

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 39

Face hugged onto the porcelain bowl for dear life.

'Where is it all coming from?' he thought miserably as he went through round after round of painful attacks. He had locked the door so that his friends wouldn't have to see him like this…so weak and defenseless.

Finally there was a spasm so bad he thought he would die right on the spot. He let out a gut wrenching scream before expelling whatever little else there was left in him out into the bowl. Collapsing to the floor he lay there shaking and sweating until he heard a crash.

They heard the scream and on instinct B.A. threw his shoulder into the door and busted it open.

Hannibal lunged toward the still form of his lieutenant. "Face…can you hear me?"

"Mmm," Face mumbled.

Hannibal sat and gently lifted Face's head onto his lap. Murdock passed him a damp cloth and he placed onto the sweaty brow. "Where does it hurt, kid?"

Face had to think hard through the fog that was clouding his mind. It was hard to believe, but it didn't hurt anymore. "M'okay now…feel better."

Hannibal felt Face's flushed cheeks, and while they were warm and pink from exertion, they were no longer burning hot. "I think your fever broke too."

B.A. came into the room and announced, "The van just pulled up. Maggie's back."

"Okay kid, let's get you off of that floor. I don't think you want to great her hanging in front of the porcelain."

"Don't need her 'gain."

"I still want her to look you over, besides, she'll do it anyway."

"Not hurting bad now."

"That's real good."

" 'kay on my own."

"I don't think so Face, c'mon, put your arm around my neck, I'll pull you up." His plan was to help Face up and support him the few steps to the bed rather than to carry him since he wanted to do things for himself. However, after three tries BA had enough and simply picked Face up.

"Can walk…on my own."

"Yeah sure, that why your knees are giving out all the time. Let me help man, I'm not standin' round here for decoration." BA turned and stepped out of the tiny bathroom with Face. As soon as Face was out in the open Murdock started hovering over him. The bath had been too small for him and Hannibal to fit so he had decided to use the time to change the sheets.

"M…urdock…back?" Face didn't hurt as much again but therefore he was exhausted to the bone and barely able to hold his eyes open.

"Sure I'm back muchacho. Where do you think I would go?"

"Dunno,…didn't come back…didn't get …Maggie..hurt …why?"

Murdock had trouble to follow Face's sentence. "What do you mean? Oh no…" It hit him like a ton of bricks. Face had told him to go and get Maggie to replace him. He had gone alright but nobody ever told Face that she wasn't around. "I'm sorry Face, Maggie wasn't around and since you wanted me to go I stayed outside, shoulda come back to tell you, sorry."

"Not…want you…go."

"But…but you…you told me to go."

"Not go… away…go get Maggie."

"Oh no, Face, it was a misunderstanding, oh man, I'm so sorry you had to go through your pain alone."

"Used to it."

They all looked down at the ground; there weren't enough words to fill the void Face's statement revealed.

Hannibal looked out the window and saw Maggie still unloading the van. He turned to Murdock and B.A. and said, "Can you guys go help Maggie and send her up here to check on Face?" He also wanted an opportunity to talk to Face alone for a few minutes.

Once alone Hannibal sat on the bed next to Face and softly stroked his hair.

Face was bordering on unconscious and as a result his guard was down and his emotions came bubbling to the surface. The touch of Hannibal hand felt so comforting and soothing that it brought tears to his bleary eyes.

"Please don't cry, kid."

Face stiffened and began to turn his head away. 'Real men don't cry…pull it together, Peck.'

Sensing that his words had been misconstrued, Hannibal quickly said, "I didn't mean that you shouldn't cry, Face. I just didn't want to be the one to cause it anymore."

"Not…your fault," Face sniffled. 'Not you…fault…I'm broken."

"Broken? You aren't broken, son…right now it just feels that way." Hannibal placed a hand against Face's cheek and was pleased when the younger man leaned into it. Such vulnerability was rare and thus treasured by the colonel. Leaning over to meet the heavy-lidded blue eyes he smiled. "Consider yourself bent right now…I'll help you get everything straightened out…I promise."

Face nodded slightly and allowed his eyes to close though the tears continued to leak through. He was still awake when he heard Maggie's voice but couldn't make out her words anymore. He tried to open his eyes again but didn't succeed. He slowly drifted off, Hannibal's hand still resting on his cheek.

When Face didn't respond to her greeting Maggie whispered, "How's he doing John? Murdock and BA told me he was in pain and sick."

"He just fell asleep. He was hurting bad enough to sent Murdock for you, that says it all. In addition Murdock misunderstood it as being sent out and we left him alone while he was sick."

Maggie glanced at the broken bathroom door. "Yeah, BA broke that down as soon as he screamed in pain."

"I see. Where did it hurt most?"

"Didn't ask him. He said he felt better after the vomiting was over and didn't also look as if he was in that much pain again. His fever broke too."

"Might just be a reaction to the drugs. I wouldn't want to have stomach cramps with his belly. I don't want to disturb him now that he rests, let me just have a quick look at his stomach to make sure it's not tender and then we let him sleep. I'll examine him properly once he's awake."

Maggie carefully lifted the cover to take a look. Face jumped slightly in his sleep as she lightly pressed on his belly and felt around but didn't wake up.

Hannibal asked as Maggie rearranged the cover. "Anything wrong? More than before I mean."

"No, it's all soft. He felt some pain but that's to be expected. He'll be fine, stay in physical contact with him, does the two of you good."

"You're right. We had a rough couple of weeks and it's not over yet but finally looking up."

Maggie arranged another pillow beside Face's head for Hannibal to rest on while sitting next to the bed and holding Face's hand. "Get some rest, you're all more than tired." She drew the blinds and left the room.

Hannibal's words had steered an old memory in Face's subconscious and he was dreaming. He was a little boy in the orphanage standing surrounded by a group of kids that the nun that was currently standing next to him had gathered to listen.

_"Kids, Alvin here has been grumpy today. He misses his mom and is feeling alone. He thinks it's unfair that he doesn't have a family. I know many of you feel the same and you're right, it is unfair. But I want you to remember one thing. You are all …well…how do I put it…damaged isn't the right word…not fitting the norm maybe. You're in need of a family and there are families out there, but nobody wants a grumpy kid. They want good-looking, healthy, strong and always smiling kids. You can feel down sometimes like Alvin here is feeling today, but never show it to prospective parents. And since you never know when they'll show up you better never show it at all. Hide your grief behind a smile. Play and laugh with the others. Never forget your goal is to find a family, those of you who knew their parents might still miss them but once you have a new family you'll be far better off than now, don't forget that. And if you stay cheerful they'll not return you. So let's make our number one goal to always be smiling and happy. Start it right now. And if you feel you can't keep it up any longer feel free to come to me, I'll help you get everything straightened out, you'll see. Now Alvin, let's see you smile."_

From that day on Face learned to hide behind his masks. He went to that nun rather often; she was a kind woman and always helped him to smile again if he felt he couldn't keep up the act any longer.

But then one day she disappeared out of the blue with no explanation only to be replaced by Sister Marguerite who held the same philosophy as her predecessor when it came to putting up a happy front. However, her methods of getting there were quite opposite.

One time in particular, he had tripped over one of the younger boys toys and twisted his ankle badly. In his dream he lived it once again.

_"Alvin…get up…stop acting like such a baby. No wonder nobody ever wants to adopt you!"_

_"S…sorry, Sister. But…my…my ankle…can't…"_

_"Can't…or won't? Stop being so dramatic. Look children…look at Alvin and remember this day when you get chosen and he doesn't."_

_"I…I'll try again…I…ow…ah…ow…I…argh."_

_"And now look at the tears…I'll give you something to cry about. I'll stop when you put a smile on your face. Remember, Alvin, I'm doing this for your own good."_

It only took five cracks of the switch against his backside for Face to force his lips to turn upward, but each one left a mark…both in and out. Face felt the sharp sting and moaned in his sleep. As the final blow was delivered Face smiled and mumbled, "…for my own good."

Hannibal was relieved that Face seemed to be having a pleasant dream…or so he thought from the grin on his face. Though he didn't want to leave his man, it had been four hours since Maggie left the room and he really had to hit the head. He waited until Face remained still and silent for a long stretch before quietly padding out of the room and down the hall.

He was on his way back to the room when he glanced out the window and saw Murdock, B.A. and Maggie gathered by the van. Curious as to the reason, he took a detour out the front door and into the early light of dawn. He had just stepped off the bottom step of the porch when an explosion from inside sent him reeling forward.

Once he righted himself he turned back toward the house as the others joined him. All four were frozen in fear and shock with one thought on their minds: Face.

Flames were following Hannibal out the door so there was no way to get back inside through that. BA run over to the window at the far side of the living room and was about to smash it when Murdock screamed "No"

"What's it fool, we have to get to the Faceman."

"If you smash the window and too much oxygen gets inside you can cause a second explosion, we don't know what caused it."

"He's right." Hannibal was already at the window peering inside.

The cabin was small and had two stories, all wood and not built to last for a life time. Down was the living room, bath and open kitchen. The kitchen was separated from the living room by the wooden stairs that ran up. Up was the sleeping rooms and a toilet. Or that was how it had been seconds ago. Now the kitchen part was in pieces and half of the stairs were gone. The flames were spreading fast and there was a gaping hole in the ceiling above the kitchen where Murdock and BA's room had been. Luckily Face's room was at the other side.

"We have to get to Face before he inhales too much smoke. BA, do we have a ladder to get to Face's window? We can forget about the stairs. Murdock, Maggie try to get the water hose running to put out the fire. Looks like one of the propane gas bottles Maggie just brought was the problem."

The bottles had been standing there and Murdock had put on the stove to make coffee. Probably one of them was leaking and caught fire.

* * *

><p>Face woke up because of something loud but couldn't place it. Something was wrong, there was smoke everywhere and he was alone.<p>

Instinct got him out of the bed and onto the floor since he knew that smoke rises. He crawled over to the door and placed a hand against it.

'Damn…it's hot…not getting out that way.'

He continued over to the window and used the sill to pull himself to standing. Turning the lock to the open position he began to try and lift the pane.

'C'mon…open…c'mon!' Face gritted his teeth against the pain in his abdomen and pulled with all his might to no avail. Through the smoke induced tears in his eyes he could see his friends outside and was instantly relieved that they were out of harm's way.

Coughing and gasping for air at this point, he lowered himself back down onto the floor and headed for the spacious closet. Closing the door behind him he collapsed onto the ground.

Once again instinct kicked in and he pushed aside the pain and nausea to get off the floor to soak some towels with the bottle of water he had brought inside to place against the bottom of the door to block out any more smoke. The simple act left him spent and he sat propped up against the wall head drooping to one side.

He thought of Hannibal, Murdock, B.A. and Maggie. The initial joy of knowing they were safe began to be clouded by the idea that they had all left him alone inside the house.

His lungs burned; his throat ached; his eyes teared…but it was the thought that they left him or even might have done this on purpose that hurt the most.

While the bottom of the door was sealed against smoke as good as possible the sides and top were not and smoke continued to creep in at a slow but steady peace. Face curled up on the floor to escape the smoke as much as possible. As he was laying there he remembered his dream. 'Have been complaining too much of lately. Some conman you are, shoulda known better. No wonder they leave you in here. But maybe…just maybe they will come back and help, have to stay alert.'

* * *

><p>"Face."<p>

"Where?"

"At his window." Murdock was pointing up and they all joined him to look for a second before springing back into action. Hannibal watched a little longer and saw that he couldn't open the window and disappeared from it. The initial joy of seeing him up and seemingly well, or at least not worse than before, was gradually replaced by the fear of not being able to get to him in time. He saw the thick smoke behind the window and knew Face needed air so he begun to throw stones to break the window. It took him several tries but finally it burst. Hannibal stood there waiting for Face to appear again but nothing happened. 'Oh god, please don't let it be too late.'

"Hannibal, can't find no ladder."

"Bring the van here." Hannibal took off to drag a heavy metal bench over to the window.

In the mean time Murdock and Maggie had managed to get the hose running and were doing their best to put off the fire.

"Help me put the bench on top of the van, that should be high enough to get into the window." Hannibal climbed up to receive the bench from BA who lifted it up. Through the adrenalin and the fear for his friend he didn't even notice the strain he put on his leg. Hannibal had to still stretch himself to remove the rest of the glass and climb inside and received several cuts while doing so but he succeeded. BA followed right after him. They both had a cloth in front of their nose and mouth to avoid as much of the smoke as possible.

"I can't see him."

"Check the door."

* * *

><p>Face heard the sound of the window breaking. 'They're coming to help. They haven't given up on you yet.' He was too intoxicated to get back out of the closet and over to the window by now. Instead he forced a grin on his face.<p>

BA opened the door and thick smoke greeted him. He quickly closed it again.

"Can't have gone out through here, there's no way."

Hannibal looked around and went over to the closet. He found a barely conscious but alive Face inside. "Good boy, did the right thing, now we gonna get you out of here." He picked up his lieutenant and started for the window.

BA had already reached it and climbed out having to drop some inches to get to the bench. Standing on top of the bench he waited for Hannibal to appear in the window. Thick smoke was still coming out of it.

"Hand him to me." He took Face's unresponsive body from Hannibal. His eyes were open and teary from the smoke but he seemed to be oblivious to the things happening around him. His face was twisted in pain but he was wearing a huge false grin that just didn't fit and left BA wondering whether they had reached him in time. He stepped from the bench putting all of his and Face's weight on his bad leg. After that everything happened in a kind of slow motion for BA. His leg gave out and he stumbled. He saw that he was running out of room but couldn't do a thing as his body moved closer to the edge. All he could do was to make sure to turn so that Face would land on top of him.

Face did land on top of B.A., but to the sergeant's surprise he landed on something soft. But still the air was pushed out of his lungs and it took a moment to get his bearings.

"Hey…you okay, big guy?"

B.A. could only grunt in the affirmative as Murdock was joined by Hannibal, who was down from the van, and removing Face from his torso. They moved him a distance away and placed him down on the grass so Maggie could examine him.

Hannibal came back over to the van and asked, "how you doing, B.A.? Do you think you can stand?"

"Yeah," B.A. answered breathlessly. "I'll be alright. You okay, man?"

"Now that we got Face I am." It appeared that they both escaped relatively unscathed, but Maggie would need to patch them up later.

B.A. looked underneath him to take in what broke his fall. "A mattress?"

Hannibal smiled brightly. "It was Murdock's idea."

"Where'd the fool find a mattress?"

"The side of the house in a pile of old junk…lucky he noticed it the other day or Maggie would have another patient. Speaking of Face…"

"Go," B.A. insisted, standing up to demonstrate that he was okay. "Take care of the Faceman. I'm right behind ya."

Face was still conscious, but he almost wished he wasn't. His smile was faltering as Maggie poked and prodded him, but he made sure that each time he allowed a grimace or a moan to escape he put it back on.

"Face, honey, can you hear me?" Maggie asked confused by the look on the injured man's face.

No reply or indication that she had been heard. She turned to the three anxious men behind her and shrugged.

Hannibal stepped forward and kneeled beside Face. "Lieutenant Peck…I need you to look at me."

Face could hear a voice in the distance, but it sounded fuzzy. 'Just your imagination…keep smiling.'

"Lieutenant, look at me…that's an order," Hannibal tried louder.

'Hannibal,' Face thought. He turned his head toward the sound and saw a blurry being before him that could have been the colonel.

"Good…that's good. Are you okay?" While it was clear that he wasn't, Hannibal was testing his responsiveness.

"M'okay," Face smiled and then began to cough fiercely. He curled into a ball; his chest and lungs were on fire and he ached from head to toe.

The smile was finally gone from Face's lips, and for that they were all glad, but it was short lived as Maggie began to dish out orders.

"Damn, Murdock, oxygen mask, now, BA get behind him, raise him up and keep him as still as possible. Face…Face, look at me…Face, are you dizzy or nauseous? Face I need you to answer. Hannibal try to get him to answer the questions."

It was a blur of activity. Murdock came running back with the oxygen bottle as Maggie finished talking while BA had slipped in behind Face and was trying to hold the fighting man up and still while his own body protested.

Face was fighting with all he had, which luckily for the rest wasn't much. He couldn't breathe and they were holding him down, he had to get away from there.

"John, hold his head."

Hannibal did as told with the result that Face fought even more. Maggie pressed the mask to his mouth and as the oxygen started to kick in and his breathing got a little easier his mind also cleared a little and he realized they were not his enemy and calmed a little.

"That's better, isn't it? Now tell me, are you feeling dizzy or nauseous? An honest answer please." Maggie removed the mask for Face to answer and he instantly started struggling again and Maggie replaced it without getting her answer.

"Kid, answer her. You'll get the mask back, just answer okay?"

"Leave him be John, it was answer enough. He's clearly not thinking straight. Face, I'm going to remove the mask for just a second and I want you to exhale when I do so, understood?" Face didn't give any indication of an answer and Maggie tried to follow his irregular breathing pattern to guess the moment he would exhale. She removed the mask and brought her nose close to smell his breath before placing the mask back. Then she got up and walked over to the van.

Hannibal followed her. "Maggs?"

"He inhaled a lot of smoke, he's clearly not with us, he has great trouble breathing and his skin is a shade of blue. Whether or not he feels nauseous we'll find out sooner or later. The good thing is that his color doesn't indicate carbon monoxide and I couldn't smell any cyanide. The cabin is, or was, mainly wood and that's better than a mixture of materials when burning. The bad thing is that we're dealing with intoxication, have no means to find out how bad it really is and have an unresponsive patient. Also he has ruptured some of the stitches on his stomach and the cast on his arm is cracked and needs to be replaced. I hope the fall did no new damage to his neck, but BA was a good cushion for his torso, seems only his arm was unlucky to hit the ground." She was done rummaging around and appeared with a syringe in hand.

"What's this?"

"The pain killer I gave him earlier on."

"You want to give him more?"

"I don't see another option. I have to give him some pain relief to keep him still and assist his breathing."

"But if he reacts…"

"It won't make his situation worse than now. The easier and deeper he breaths now the less the chances for complications. His lungs may fill up or he may show new or worsened symptoms within the next 36 hours." She was back at his side and administering the drug in his arm without the slightest flinch from him. That told them all how far gone he was.

"Now to the rest of you,…John let me check you. Murdock, relieve BA."

"How you gonna hold him up with one arm fool?"

"He can lean against me as he does to you, he ain't struggling anymore."

BA was feeling the fall and let Murdock slide in between them before getting up. "One thing I don't get fool. How did you know I was gonna fall?"

"Huh? I didn't."

"Then why did you put the mattress there?"

"I figured you would have to climb down from the van and then pick Face from Hannibal, just a precaution in case one of you drops him. Was sheer luck that you fell on it."

"Thanks anyway."

"Anytime, big guy."

Guilt was the common theme as the group sat quietly as Maggie tended to Hannibal's various cuts on his forearms.

Hannibal was so lost in his guilt over leaving Face in the bedroom that he didn't even feel as Maggie cleaned and stitched his wounds up. 'The kid must have been so scared. If I were there I could have gotten him out sooner.'

Murdock looked at his three teammates and felt guilty that he came out of this situation unscathed. 'My fault…if only I didn't put on that pot of coffee.'

B.A. felt as if the guilt kept piling up on him. It was the way he treated Face in Bad Rock after getting shot in the leg that started this whole mess in the first place. And it felt like all he had done since was give Face reason to think that he didn't care about him, when that couldn't be further from the truth. 'I ain't been nothin' but a damn fool and my friends are payin' the tab for it.'

Maggie, who had moved on to B.A., was not exempt from her share of guilty feelings as well. 'I was the one to bring in the gas can. I should know better than to put it next to any heat source…and I put it next to the stove. I could have killed us all.'

Maggie started to put away her medical instruments satisfied that she had done all she could for the moment. "Hannibal…I want you to take it easy with your arms for a couple of days while they start to heal. And B.A., you have a couple of nice bruises and your leg is swollen and will probably be sore for a while, but I don't see any new damage. You just need to keep off of it and keep it elevated as much as possible. I sound like a broken record."

Nobody appeared to be listening to her so she decided to test it out. "I'm going to prescribe that you all dress as circus clowns and travel from town to town."

"Mmm, hmm," Hannibal muttered.

"Yeah," Murdock added.

"Right," B.A. concluded.

Maggie shook her head and sighed. "Hello…Earth to the A-Team…anybody home?"

Oddly it was Face who answered first, though not consciously. "Hannibal…have to get out of here…gonna blow. Hannibal!" Face cried out and then fell silent once more.


	40. Chapter 40

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 40

"I'm glad he got your attention back…but what was that about?" Maggie questioned seeing the recognition in their eyes.

"That's exactly what he said before throwing his body on top of mine and saving my life," Hannibal whispered trapped in the moment, "there was a village deep in the jungle; intel said they were harboring Viet Cong but they used to be friendlies so we were sent in to do recon of the place. When we arrived the village was empty, or so it seemed. We split up to search the place. I had just entered a house, or rather a bigger hut with several rooms, when Face came running toward me from the inside saying those words and throwing himself on me. A timed bomb had been placed in a way that some arranged ,metal parts were thrown around as soon as it blows. I was facing inside and would have died for sure but Face threw me down and covered me with his body. He saved my life and his pack saved his. We both got away with bruises. Up to today I don't know how they knew when to time the damn things. The whole village blew up one by one but we ran back into the jungle and escaped. "

"Why is he dreaming about it now? He never talked about it, wasn't anything special those days." Murdock mused as he replaced the oxygen mask Face had pushed aside.

"No idea, maybe the fire triggered it, or the explosion. Who knows. At least he's had one nice dream today. Was wearing a big grin in his sleep before I left him."

"Probably 'bout one of his women."

"Yeah, most likely." Hannibal wasn't really there with his thoughts.

"That grin he wore earlier on scared me." Murdock too was lost in thoughts.

"Maggie, what's going to happen next? You said he ripped some stitches and what about his cast?"

"The stitches are no problem, painful but only small tears that will heal on their own. I was going to remove them in a few days anyway. Once he's awake and responsive I'll cut the thread and remove the ruptured stitches. The same goes for the cast. I need to remove it and make sure the bone alignment is intact, but only when he's awake and responsive. For now I just need to watch his hand, if it doesn't swell there's no need to hurry. For now his breathing is my first concern. Anything that upsets him can cause problems, therefore I'll not do anything until he's responsive and I can explain every move to him. For now we let him sleep and watch his breathing."

Murdock looked at the hut. Although they had been able to put of the fire within a short time the explosion had totaled it.

"The hut had it…that sounds good."

"You a crazy fool."

"What I was getting at was that we need to find a new place to stay."

"True." Hannibal looked around between his men; nobody looked like he was going to move anytime soon.

Maggie too seemed to think the same and got up. "Okay gentlemen, looks like I have four patients…or three and a one handed orderly. I'm going to remove all still usable things from the hut and pack the van. You sit here and think of where to go next. If you can think of a nice little hospital where nobody will recognize you I'm all for it, if not think of a place not too far from a hospital. Face seems okay now but can still get critical in the next one and a half days. Watch his breathing closely and call me if anything changes. Anything at all."

Maggie got up and climbed back in through Face's window. She quickly got the kit bags of all four team members and threw them through the windows. She was back inside when Face started to moan.

"Hannibal…have to get out of here…gonna blow." His head was tossing from side to side and it looked like he was in pain. "Hannibal!" Terror filled eyes shot open but immediately rolled back into his head and he was out again. Murdock held onto him tightly and stroked his arm soothingly.

"Wonder why he still dreamin' about that?" B.A. asked.

"There has to be more to the story," Murdock said.

All eyes turned to Hannibal who could only shrug. "Beats me guys…I told you all I know. We're going to have to ask Face when he's up to it."

"Want me to get Maggie?" Murdock offered figuring he was faring the best physically.

"No…I can go. Let's keep Face still."

Hannibal carefully entered the house careful not to trip over any debris. The smell overwhelmed him as he thought of what could have been and for a moment he thought he might pass out. But then Maggie was there with her arms around him and he grabbed her back and held on tight.

Maggie could feel Hannibal trembling. "John…are you okay?"

"I…I could have lost him…again. It was too close, Maggie…too close."

"But you saved him, John. He's going to be okay…you will all be okay."

Hannibal pulled away and wiped his misty eyes onto the shoulder of his shirt. He cleared his throat and took a deep, calming breath. "I know…you're right." Now wasn't the time to fall apart. "Face woke up and then passed out again."

"Okay…let's go."

Once outside Maggie felt Face's forehead and was happy that he felt no warmer. However when she took his blood pressure and pulse the readings were way too high."

Maggie had her stethoscope to Face's chest. There was a hitch to his respirations which were a bit too shallow for her liking. "We need to move him sooner rather than later to a facility where I can treat him…did you come up with any ideas?"

"We drove through that small town on the way out of Bad Rock…Little River I think it was. I saw a bunch of old houses set way back…you know anything about them Maggie?" Hannibal questioned.

Maggie nodded eagerly kicking herself for not thinking of it sooner. "Most of them are seasonal rentals and luckily we are out of season. That's perfect…close enough for me to get supplies from my clinic or to transfer Face there in the event of an emergency."

It took less than fifteen minutes to load the van and settle Face on a makeshift bed in the back. Maggie insisted on driving and B.A. reluctantly agreed as his leg was still throbbing slightly.

Face began to shift slightly and once again began to recite the same words. "Hannibal…have to get out of here…gonna blow." This time, however, his eyes floated open and remained that way only he wasn't in the here and now. He jumped through the events following. "Can't walk anymore…legs hurt…back hurts…stop walking…can't go on…hurts so…can't sit up…"

"It's okay Face, we're not there, we got out of that jungle…c'mon kid, look at me." Hannibal was trying to get Face to focus on him but it didn't work. Instead he moved on to some other time they had no clue about.

"Traitor…you traitor, leave me…no,no." Then he closed his eyes once more leaving a puzzled audience.

"What was that about?"

"No idea. The first part was right after the blow but the last I don't know."

"Yeah, Faceman was whining about them bruises all the time. Got on my nerves."

"Care to elaborate anyone?" Maggie wanted to know more.

"As I told you he got hit by the metal and debris flying around. His pack took the main impact and some sharp pieces that would have killed one of us, but the rest of his back took a good hit too. I checked him over after we reached safety since he was trembling and the beginning of bruises and some few cuts were visible."

"Face was complaining he was okay and we should go on but the colonel made him strip in the jungle. Should have heard him whining about that, especially when the colonel reached for the waistband of his boxers." Murdock couldn't help but add in with a smile.

"The back of his legs was bruised along with his shoulders and upper arms and I saw a bruise forming at his lower back, just peeking out of his waistband, the part that was not covered from his pack had taken a good hit. Within a short time his whole behind was black and blue…and his facial cheeks crimson red at me revealing it."

BA took over. "The radio had been in his pack and was spoiled. We couldn't call in reinforcements and had to hike back to where we had stashed Murdock's bird, about two days of walking. Face whined all along that his legs were hutin' and his back was hutin' and he couldn't find a good position to sit when we stopped and so on. At a point I turned round and took him by the collar to tell him in no uncertain terms to shut up."

"First I was concerned since those bruises looked bad and he had tried to hide them from us, then I was relieved he was whining since that meant it wasn't all that bad and then he was on all our nerves, we all told him to shut up over the next two days. Why it comes up now I don't know, but the traitor part…that one's new to me." Hannibal looked down at Face puzzled.

Face was dreaming the same thing over and over again. After saving Hannibal they had run into the jungle. His leg and back ached fiercely and he was sure he must be bleeding. He kept it all in but the pain combined with the adrenalin that was still in his system made him tremble and Hannibal insisted he needed to check him over.

_"It's nothing, let's go."_

_"This wasn't nothing, I'm hurting and I didn't take the brunt of the blow, you did."_

_"I'm fine."_

_"I can see that. You always tremble when you're fine, usually seconds before you collapse."_

_"I'm fine… let's go, those blasts must have been heard miles away."_

_"Kid look, you just saved my live, let me at least make sure you're fine. The sooner we get it over with the sooner we can move on. Take off your clothes and let me see."_

_"No, Hannibal, let's just go on."_

_"Lieutenant. I'm waiting."_

_"Come on Face, do it, you know you're not getting around it anyway. You never tell us when you're hurt but we need to know, you don't have to hide anything from us muchacho."_

And then his dream moved on to the times when he was told to stop whining and shut up by each of them over the course of the next two days before jumping back to the very beginning of the ordeal.

_He stepped into the back room of the hut and saw an American soldier laying on the ground. As he bent over him to help he felt the nuzzle of a gun at his chest. The soldier then revealed the bomb he had been hiding under the bed._

_"Traitor, you're a traitor."_

_"100 points lieutenant. You got that right."_

_"What happened to the people?"_

_"They moved on to the north, to get more protection from us. We just needed their village to bring down some of you. All the better that the A-Team was sent, you're much to successful for our liking."_

_"You can't do that, you're gonna die too."_

_"I don't care. My job is to take as many of you with me as I can, and all those huts have bombs. I only need to time this baby here and it will cause a chain reaction throughout the village."_

_"No, no you're American, you can't kill fellow soldiers."_

_"Ahh, that's against the rule? You gonna complain to mommy?" He pressed the button and a two minute reading started to tick away. Then he lunged himself at Face._

_"Leave me…we need to get out of here."_

_"You're not going anywhere pretty boy."_

_They wrestled and Face could have killed him but he was American, even if he was a traitor he could only capture him or face a firing squad. But the time was ticking away…and then he heard Hannibal calling out for him and heading this way. He snapped the guys neck and run out with only three seconds left on the reading._

_"Hannibal…have to get out of here…gonna blow."_

And then the dream jumped on to when they were back in the jungle. It went on like that seemingly set on playing endless but it was like a role Face played and he had time to think in between, he also knew it was happening again and again.

'My fault, complained to much, should have remembered to not say anything even if they said it was okay, my fault, it's happening again and again until Hannibal dies…I'm a killer…killed the traitor…gonna kill Hannibal'

The dream went on until his eyes once again shot open "Hannibal…have to get out of here…gonna blow….Hannibal…Hannibal …you're alive...you're hurt…my fault…so sorry…my fault…"

Hannibal positioned himself so he was right next to Face. "Kid…you were dreaming. You did nothing wrong…everybody is just fine." 'Except you,' he added mentally.

But Face was still trapped in the past. "No…killed him. Have to get out of here…gonna blow."

Hannibal looked helplessly at Murdock and B.A. "What do I do?" he whispered.

"Try playing along," Murdock suggested. "Maybe it will bring him out of it."

Hannibal figured he had nothing to lose so he lay down next to Face. "Face…you saved me. Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"Truth, Lieutenant…how bad is it?"

"God it hurts." Face had tears in his eyes, as his real thoughts from that day and not his actual words came spilling out.

"Where do you hurt, kid?"

"My…my back…real bad."

"Do you think you can move? We need to get back to the others and find somewhere safe to take care of you."

"I…I can go. I will do what I always do…pretend I'm fine. I deserve to suffer…I killed him."

"I told you that it wasn't your fault…you had no choice."

"There's always a choice."

Hannibal wasn't used to Face being so candid and it was making him uncomfortable. Once more Hannibal looked to Murdock and B.A., who could only nod their encouragement.

"You chose to save my life…for that I'll always be grateful. Now let's go."

Face gritted his teeth as in his mind he stood up. "Ready."

Hannibal just listened as Face moaned slightly but said nothing more. 'He's holding it inside.' Hannibal reached out and grabbed Face's arm. "There's Murdock and B.A.; we're safe now. Let me check you over."

"No…please…don't make me take my clothes off."

"Face…I just want to make sure you aren't hurt."

"Of course I'm hurt…I just covered your body in the middle of an explosion. And as thanks you humiliate me in front of the team. There's nothing you can do about my injuries anyway, whether you see them or not."

"Kid, I need to know your injuries so that I can decide for the best place on the team for you, so I know how much weight you can pull."

"So you can decide if I'm still of use or better disposed off you mean."

"Face, I don't want to hear you talking like this."

"I don't know what you want from me. You tell me not to hide my injuries…and then the minute I tell you all how I'm feeling you tell me I complain too much and to shut-up."

B.A. winced knowing that Face was referring to him and Murdock patted him on the shoulder.

Face continued stuck somewhere between the past and present. "Keep a smile on your Face Templeton…or nobody will want you. Stop hiding your injuries, Lieutenant. You whine too much, Face." His voice was shaking with emotion. "So confused…don't know what people want from me."

"We want you to be yourself."

"Oh yeah…and who is that? For I'll be damned if I know anymore."

The van fell silent since nobody had an answer but just for some seconds. Face was hit by a nasty coughing fit. He curled up into a tight ball with his arms wrapped around himself.

Maggie glanced back in the mirror. "John, oxygen, hold the mask over his nose and mouth, don't take it off from him. He needs it."

Hannibal had been so shocked by Face's words that he had totally forgotten about the mask in his hand. He fought to get it back on Face while Face fought against it.

"C'mon Face, don't fight me. It's good for you." Face didn't really stop to fight but was too weak to hold out for long. Hannibal and Murdock simply overpowered him. When the oxygen took effect the coughing slowly subsided and left a very weak but lucid Face. He looked around and the first thing his gaze fell on was Hannibal's bandaged forearms.

"Han'bal you…hurt." He gasped out between some coughs.

"It's nothing kid, just breathe and try to stay calm. We're almost there and then you can rest properly." He tried to change the topic but it didn't work.

"You…you hurt…my fault."

His breathing already started to accelerate again. Hannibal decided on a different tactic, get him busy thinking about the past. "When you slept earlier you talked about the incident with the village that blew up. You said you killed him. Whom did you kill? Was there still somebody left in the village?"

If possible Face paled even more. He was trying to catch his breath and coughing at the same time. His respiration was totally off. 'Oh my god, he knows, he knows I killed that American, he's a patriot living for his country and I killed an US soldier. He's gonna kill me. Throw me of the team at the very least.

"Damn it John, I said nothing to upset him."

"I'm trying the best I can," Hannibal snapped causing Maggie to flinch. He would have to apologize later, but for now Face was his only concern.

Face pushed away the oxygen mask once more. "I…sorry…you're hurt…my fault. Now you're angry…just stop…leave me."

"No, kid…we would never leave you."

"I'm bad…a killer."

"We all killed men…it was a war…we had our orders."

Face's head was spinning and Hannibal was coming in and out of focus. "No…you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me, Face."

"Colonel," Murdock said softly feeling as if he had to step in, "He isn't looking so good…maybe now isn't the time."

"There will never …be good time…to tell you…what I did."

Hannibal went with his gut, squeezed Face's good hand and said, "whatever it is, son, it won't change what I think about you. You have to believe me."

And Face wanted to so badly that he blurted out, "I killed…American…soldier…I…" But before he could continue Hannibal jerked his hand away.

'Great going Peck, just how stupid are you? No wonder nobody ever adopted you. You knew exactly what would happen but you just had to believe he would be different, just can't keep your big mouth shut. Somebody calls you son and you lose it. Face it, you're a loser, you're never gonna change. Yeah, face it, maybe that's where the nickname comes from.' Face thought how funny the situation was. He thought in layers at the same time. While part of him thought he was stupid another part panicked at the realization that he had said out loud what he had kept hidden for so long and another part came to the conclusion that he had known ever since that should Hannibal ever find out it would be the end. And another part found it all funny. All those thoughts cursed through his head and he didn't have any capacity left to think of breathing. He didn't also hear Hannibal's shocked "What?" or Murdock's pleads for him to breathe and look at him.

"John, oxygen, now."

"I'm trying but it only helps when he breaths."

"Maggie saw a good spot to stop and stepped on the break hard, causing all the inhabitants of the van to be jostled around. The sudden movement startled Face out of his thoughts and caused his body to realize that he needed oxygen. He gulped in a deep breath which resulted in a coughing fit. Coughing and trying to take in lung full's of air was so painful that he curled together tightly, turning away from Hannibal until he finally passed out.

He wasn't aware of Maggie talking to him or Hannibal rubbing his back, the non-injured parts anyway, and trying to talk him into calm breaths.

Murdock glared at Hannibal in his best 'I told you so' imitation while helping Maggie to uncurl an unconscious Face and get him back into a position that would support his breathing.

Hannibal sat back hard. 'I did it again, told him to open up just to kick him right back when he does. But …he killed an American soldier? How?'

"John….John, damnit, I'm talking to you."

"Huh? Oh, sorry Mags. What did you say? How's Face?"

"I told you to not…are you listening? John…oh, I give up."

"No I…I'm listening. You told me not to upset him and I screwed up, but I just wanted to distract him from his guilty feelings. How is he?"

"How is he? Out of it as you can see. His respiration keeps getting worse and those episodes are not helping, he just recovered from a nasty pneumonia not to forget. And such things are not helping."

"Sorry, but…an American soldier? How?"

"It's not important now Hannibal, whatever happened it happened long ago and there's probably an explanation to it. For now we need to get Face well…he needs to feel safe with us…with you."

"Murdock is the sanest of you at the moment. BA, you didn't say anything yet. BA?"

BA was gritting his teeth against the agony as shots of pain travelled up and down his leg.

"B.A.? What is it?" Maggie asked.

"Jammed…leg…into door," he sputtered.

Maggie maneuvered herself next to B.A. in the van and then rummaged in her bag.

Murdock moved to the other side. "What are you feeling?"

"Pain…what you…think…I'm feelin', fool?"

Maggie intercepted another battle by pulling out a pair of scissors and joking, "Cut it out, you two." She waved the scissors in the air. "Get it? Cut it out!"

"Maggie, that was bad even by my standards."

Maggie started cutting up B.A.'s pant leg. "Sorry, Murdock…but sometimes laughter is the best medicine."

B.A. grunted. "I ain't…laughin'."

"Sorry," Maggie sympathized. "But Murdock was right in asking you…I need to know what you are feeling."

"Thigh is throbbin."

Maggie inspected the old gunshot wound site and began to press slightly on the surrounding flesh. "It looks about the same…but I'll need to x-ray and see what's going on inside." She pulled out a syringe and inserted it into a small vial. "I'm going to give you something for the pain, okay?"

B.A. nodded. "Yeah…okay."

Maggie waited for B.A. to go unconscious to turn back to Hannibal and Murdock. "I want to get us to the house as soon as possible…hopefully before either of them wakes. Now…I expect the two of you to be on your best behavior or I won't hesitate to drug you either."

"Yes ma'am," Murdock saluted.

Hannibal nodded but said nothing. He only turned his head out the window and stared…he remained that way for the remainder of the trip.

A couple hours later Maggie stopped the van outside her office and quickly ran in to get a few items…one of which being a small portable x-ray machine. It was another thirty minutes before they made it to the house and another fifteen before they got a still out cold Face and a woozy B.A. inside.

The two injured men were put in a room with twin beds so Maggie could monitor them both easily.

"B.A., I'm going to x-ray your leg first."

"Mmm…hmm," he mumbled.

"Gee, B.A., you sure are cute when you're all doped up," Murdock teased sitting next to him with his elbow resting on the bed and his chin in his good hand.

"You kinda cute too crazy man," B.A. slurred with a giggle.

"Maggie…can we keep him this way?" Murdock beamed. "Can we, can we…pretty please?"

Maggie looked away from the x-ray she had been studying by the light of the window to smile at Murdock. "Yes and no. From what I see here it's just more soft tissue damage and the only treatment is rest. However, I will keep him mildly sedated for a couple of days for pain and to keep him still."

"Hear that, big guy?"

"Mmm…hmm," B.A. schmoozed. "Murdock…I think I see Billy."

"And I think I'm in heaven!"

Maggie laughed out loud and went to turn to Hannibal who had been awfully quiet. She sobered quickly when she looked around the room and he was nowhere to be found. "That stubborn man," she exclaimed.

"He slipped out right after you took the x-ray," Murdock informed her with a sigh. "I was going to say something but figured it best to give him some time alone."

It may have been best for Hannibal, but it certainly wasn't for Face who woke up screaming "Hannibal" at the top of his damaged lungs a few minutes later.

"Face shh, stop screaming, you'll hurt yourself even more, Face everything is alright, stop."

But Face didn't stop, he kept on screaming Hannibal's name, his voice turning hoarser with every scream until it was only a croaking. He had had the same dream again but this time he didn't kill the traitor but couldn't also get him under control in time. He had to watch how Hannibal came in and was torn to pieces by the bomb. Murdock and Maggie tried to calm him but nothing seemed to help. Maggie didn't even glare at BA who hobbled over to come to his friend's aid, still a bit woozy he didn't really know why Face was screaming but he knew he had to help him.

"Face, Face…muchacho, listen to me come on, Hannibal is just outside, went for a supply run." Murdock had repeated this mantra over and over but this time he got a reaction.

"Hannibal…killed him…Murdock" Face croaked out between coughs and wheezing breaths.

"Shh calm down muchacho, told you he's just outside, will be back any minute, you'll see."

"No…dead…my fault."

"You were just dreaming Face, Hannibal is as fit as ever" Okay, that was a lie but just a slight one compared to what Face was thinking.

The coughs got worse but his awareness came back slowly. But the dream was so real. And then he remembered and calmed, or rather froze. He had told Hannibal and instead of physical death must have killed him on the inside.

"Han'bal…so….sorry."

"Tell you what Face, you be a good boy for Maggie and the big guy and I go get Hannibal. Deal?"

He wasn't really sure Hannibal would ever want to see him again but he had to, needed to tell him what happened, that he did it to save the team, to save Hannibal. Although that wouldn't make things much better it might at least be a little solace for the colonel. Face nodded to accept the deal and Murdock took off running.

He found the colonel not too far from the house walking back towards it. The moment he spotted Murdock he increased his pace and looked really concerned, that saved him from the blow Murdock had planned to deliver on first sight.

"What's wrong captain?" Hannibal asked as they jogged side by side towards the house.

"Face screamed out his lungs for his colonel who decided to go catch some fresh air, that's wrong."

"He…I'm sorry…I…I just needed to clear my head…that news is hard to digest."

"Oh come off it Hannibal, trust him a little, you don't even know what happened."

They entered the house and heard Maggie arguing with BA to go back to bed while in between telling Face to keep quiet. As they entered the room Face started to open his mouth.

"Not one peep out of you young man, you did enough damage with your earlier screaming."

He tried again but had his mouth just halfway open when Maggie interrupted him. "Say one tone and I'm going to sedate you. How do you think your vomiting afterwards will feel passing through your raw throat?" It was a pure threat but one with effect, for the moment anyway. Face grimaced and stopped trying. Hannibal was sitting on the side of his bed and for now things looked up, maybe not all was lost.

"That goes for you too John Smith, ask him one question and I'll drug you and put you in the chair beside Face's bed. That way he'll have you around without you causing any distress."

"You might want to put him in the chair before drugging him, he's kinda heavy and BA is out of commission."

"Good thinking Murdock."

She went on checking over her two patients. Face's breath was coming in short and shallow wheezes and the coughing fits were more frequent now. She just hoped it would get better and not worse. Maggie really didn't like the glassy look in his eyes.

After about 30 minutes of complete silence, apart from Face's coughs and wheezes, BA had drifted off to sleep and Murdock, who was sitting in a chair next to the big guy, had his head on BA's pillow and was also about to fall asleep. Maggie waited for another 30 minutes and since no one made an attempt to speak she risked to leave the room. She was in desperate need of a bathroom and really couldn't wait any longer.

The moment the door closed behind her Face stated. "So…rry…Han'bal."

"Face…" he had planned on telling him not to speak but instead added "what happened?"

"Traitor…bomb…village…you…" a new coughing fit stopped him.

"A traitor? But why kill him? You should have collected the proof and reported him. And what bomb and village are you talking off?"

Face needed three tries to croak out the next words. "Hut…village…waiting…timer…you…"

"What the hell are you two doing here?"

"Maggie…we need to work this out," Hannibal tried.

But Maggie was having no part of it. She pulled him over to the side of the room and away from Face's earshot. "No, what you need is to let your men rest and recover. Now you either abide by my rules or you can get out."

"These are _my_ men…"

"Yes, and I am their doctor." She was speaking in hushed yet firm tones. "Listen, Colonel Smith, I let it slide when you snapped at me back in the van…but that was a onetime allowance. Do it again and you won't have to leave…_I will_."

On one hand, Hannibal knew that Maggie was right in insisting he not upset Face. On the other hand, however, not talking about it seemed to be having that very same effect. The only thing he was sure of at the moment was that he owed Maggie an apology. "I'm sorry for treating you like that, Maggie. I had no right…especially since you have bent over backwards to help us."

Maggie smiled and joked, "I wouldn't go that far…I'm a little too old to bend over backwards anymore."

"You're not old, Doctor Sullivan…you're just perfect."

"Flattery will get you everywhere with me, John…except to allow you to question that boy further until he is feeling better."

"But…" Hannibal stopped short as Maggie narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay…okay…you win."

Over the next 48 hours, as much as Face wanted to talk to Hannibal, he found it much too difficult to do anything more than breathe…and even that was a struggle.

Maggie continued to lower the dosage on B.A.'s medication so, much to Murdock's disappointment, he returned to his normal lovably grumpy self.

And Hannibal kept his promise to Maggie and kept a tight lip, but Face took some solace in the fact that he hadn't left…or at least not yet.

By all accounts, things were looking up for the team until Maggie gave Hannibal the clear to open up the discussion with Face. He wasted no time and started it right there and then with all others present.

"Okay Face, you heard her. Care to tell us why you killed one of our own?" It came out bitter, more than what he had intended but thinking of the few words that made no sense for over two days had left him frustrated and he wanted answers and now.

Face thought his words should have made perfect sense. It was so painful to get them out that it must have made sense and now Hannibal snapped at him. Clearly that must mean that Hannibal had understood very well but would have preferred a different outcome. Face had thought about it too. He could have yelled for Hannibal to get away and with Hannibal out of the way could have continued his struggle. He might have succeeded or they would both have died but he wouldn't have to live with the knowledge that he killed an American. But Hannibal whose hide he had saved that day should be a little grateful, or so Face thought. His behavior clearly showed that he would have prepared for Face to die that day.

"To save your hide, …sorry I didn't chose…to die….with him." He spat at Hannibal while glaring. Or at least that was what he had planned to do. He could glare only for the first word until he closed his eyes against the pain in his throat and croaked out the words between coughs rather than to spit them.

Hannibal waited until Face's coughs had died down before saying, "Face, I don't understand." Again, the tone was acidic; he had focused more attention to Face's defensive demeanor instead of what he was actually trying to say.

"Maybe because you aren't listening," Face countered. He was hurt that Hannibal hadn't so much as blinked when he apologized for not dying with the traitor. "You never listen."

"Lieutenant…you're out of line."

"Colonel…maybe it's about time." Face was wheezing, but he was determined to hold his ground. "I can't win with you, can I?"

"This isn't a game, Face."

"You sure? Because I certainly feel like I'm being played."

"Why you ungrateful, little…"

"I'm ungrateful? Look at the pot calling the kettle black…you tell me to open up to you and then you don't like my answers…and that's when you even give me a chance to explain before deciding I'm wrong. If anything you are the ungrateful one, I killed that man to save you."

Maggie, Murdock and B.A. sat on the sidelines watching the action as if it were a football game on TV. Each felt as if they should call a time-out, but this conversation had to occur sooner or later…and why prolong the inevitable.

Face allowed his anger to propel him onto his feet, but still he felt shaky at best. While he was physically a bit better, he hadn't stood on his own feet in days.

Hannibal moved himself forward until he was standing face to face with the man he considered a son, but couldn't seem to relate to anymore.

If he could take back what he said next he would take a year off of his life.

If he could take back the punch he threw that sent Face reeling he would take off another five…


	41. Chapter 41

After Bad Rock 

_Warning__: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!_

Chapter 41

"Don't you go blame your murder on me. Maybe I don't wait for you to explain because you'll lie and dodge anyway. Have you ever stopped to think and contemplate if it's your lying and cheating that drives people away from you?" Why he didn't regret the statement the moment it was out of his mouth he later on couldn't understand but right then he was just seeing red. Face had been laying in bed dodging his question about that American he had killed, playing the very sick, while he could even stand up now.

"That was your doing my great colonel. Maybe I was a conman before we met but you made it my profession. "

Hannibal was beyond angry. "So it's my fault you're nothing but a lying and cheating bastard?"

"If you ask that way, yeah, it looks like. I could have developed into something more than a lying and cheating bastard had I not robbed a bank under your command." 'At least where the lying and cheating part is concerned' he mentally added but never got a chance to voice it as a hard blow he never saw coming made him stagger backwards. If it hadn't been for BA who had moved fast and caught him he would have crashed into the table that was in his way.

"My god, what…" Hannibal couldn't finish his sentence since a furious Maggie appeared right in front of him. He couldn't also get a look at Face since his other two men were attending to him and blocking his view.

"Out, now, and better get as far away as you can." She didn't wait but turned and also attended to Face, effectively taking any chance on catching a glance at the young man from Hannibal. He stood there rooted to the ground with no desire to leave but unsure of what to do. He was shocked at his own actions and wanted nothing more than to make it up to Face but that didn't seem an option right now.

For Face everything happened in stages. First he was stunned by the blow, then by the fact that Hannibal had really thrown it. Then realization gave way to being stunned, realization that this wasn't the first time Hannibal had floored him and would probably not be the last time. It was just more proof of how little he thought of him. In the next phase the adrenalin slowly left his body and he became aware of the pain, especially in his feet from standing on the still sore soles but also in the rest of his body. And finally he became aware of voices slowly followed by faces of those surrounding him.

"Wow, that's gonna be one hell of a shiner." That was clearly Murdock trying to downplay his own anger and failing miserably.

B.A. was still holding Face upright and could feel him shaking worse than a leaf on a windy day. "You okay, Faceman?"

"B.A.," Face whispered, his voice quivering as badly as he was. "Please…get me…outta here."

"Just lean on me, man." B.A. shot Hannibal a murderous look before assisting Face from the room.

Once the coast was clear Murdock spun on his heels and glowered at Hannibal. "Have you lost your mind, Colonel? How could you do that to him?"

Hannibal hung his head and looked at his still clenched fist. "Murdock…I…"

"My God, Hannibal…you called him a lying and cheating bastard…a bastard!"

"I…I didn't mean it like that." Hannibal thought he couldn't feel any worse, but the realization that he inadvertently made reference to Face being an orphan and not knowing who his parents were made his stomach turn.

"It doesn't matter how you meant it…that's how he's going to hear it."

Maggie decided that the last thing the group needed was another physical altercation so she grabbed Murdock by the arm and ushered him toward the door. "Do me a favor and check on Face?"

Murdock held onto the doorframe not wanting to go before he had his full say. "Hannibal needs to…"

"I know…let me talk to John…alone."

Murdock nodded reluctantly but couldn't resist one parting shot before going. "If it wasn't for Face you wouldn't be here, Colonel. Next time you want to pick on somebody, try to find somebody who hasn't given up his life just to save others who don't appreciate it."

Hannibal sat down hard on the bed and closed his eyes.

"John, I'm not even going to ask for an explanation because you can't possibly have one to justify your behavior."

Hannibal opened his eyes, but avoided Maggie's piercing gaze. "I don't. I just lost it."

"Well you better find it," the doctor snapped. "I'm going to make sure Face is okay."

Hannibal hadn't ever felt so alone before in all his life.

B.A. had supported most of Face's weight as they walked down the hall. "Where to Faceman?"

"Maybe…lie down…for a bit?" Although BA had all but carried him he was spent and in pain.

"You wanna go back, muchacho?"

Face turned around to Murdock with panic in his eyes, "No, not back."

"Where do you want to lay down then? You just asked us to get you out of your own bedroom."

"Oh."

Murdock and BA shared a worried glance. "You want to lay on the couch for a while then?"

"Or you want me to go suck the colonel from your room?" BA wanted nothing more at that moment and hoped for Face's consent.

"No..just…couch is okay."

"Okay then, couch it is." 'I can always go and slug him when the Faceman is asleep.' BA mentally added.

Together they steered Face the last few steps to the living room and carefully lowered him down. Bye the time he was settled Maggie appeared in the doorway.

"Let me have a look Face….ouch, that must have hurt. It's turning blue already. Murdock can you get him some ice for this eye?"

"Sure thing."

"And some water, you need to drink something Face."

"Okay."

"Let me have a look at your feet while Murdock is gone….red, but that was to be expected. You can walk around a bit if you feel like in the coming days, just don't overdo it."

"Ouch, Maggie can you help me here please." Murdock was shouting from the kitchen.

"Oh no. Not another one. Murdock, what's up?" Maggie said while walking toward the kitchen fearing another patient at her hands.

"Nothing, I just wanted to get you out of Face's earshot. He's confused, didn't know he had just left his room. Do you think he has another concussion from the blow?"

"No, I don't think so. It's just the shock over what happened that made him confused I think. But let's keep a close eye on him to make sure. After all something like this doesn't happen on a daily basis, I hope. "

"No, it doesn't. Though it isn't the first time it doesn't happen often that the two fight, or Hannibal fights and Face takes it."

"Good, what are you doing?"

"I'm making him some mild herb tea, guess the warmth will feel better than just water."

"Good thinking, let's go."

Face was grateful for the tea. He was propped up on the couch and holding the warm mug in both hands, relishing the feeling.

"Face, you know I'm curious by nature…,"BA's huff disturbed Murdock's flow of words but only for a moment. "What ever happened that day at the village? We were at the other side of it when that hut blew up."

Face related his story to a silent audience.

"Oh man, but why didn't you say anything? This must have been hard on you for all that time."

"I killed an American, I couldn't tell or I would have gone in front of a firing squad or at least would have got locked up forever."

"No, you killed a traitor to save other people's lives. You're a hero, nobody would have court marshaled you, all you needed to do was tell the story."

"And you think they would have listened? With my track record? Just look at how well telling Hannibal had ended. He hates me."

"That's not true…he's just confused."

"Maggie…did you see the way he looked at me? It's the way he would look at an enemy…not a friend."

"Speak of the devil," B.A. snarled as Hannibal crept down the hall and went straight out the front door.

Face let his aching head droop; partially from the growing pain and also to hide the tears in his eyes from the others.

Hannibal contemplated apologizing to Face then and there as he passed by and throwing himself at the group's mercy. But then as he caught a glimpse of his lieutenant holding an ice pack to his eye and looking so darn devastated he lost his nerve and just kept going.

'You're a coward, Smith…nothing but a coward.'

Hannibal felt their eyes on him until the door slammed at his back and then he just felt shame.

'No, you're also a bully.'

In all the years they had been a team there were only a handful of instances when they actually resorted to blows. But this was the first time he ever laid a hand on one of his men when they weren't able to defend themselves.

He replayed the argument in his head over and over but it was this line that made him shudder: 'Have you ever stopped to think and contemplate if it's your lying and cheating that drives people away from you?'

Hannibal knew how insecure Face was and how he blamed himself for being abandoned as a child, first by his mother and then by various foster families. And now he basically told him that it was his entire fault. His fist probably hurt, but it was those words that would leave a permanent mark.

Hannibal walked over to the van and thought about driving away. 'They would be better off without me.'

But then he thought about all those who had run out on Face before. 'I'm not going to do that to my boy…I'll make it right…somehow.'

He kept walking away from the house and toward the little town not far away.

'But how, just how shall I make it up to him, I said the most terrible thing I could have. Talk to him, yeah that's inevitable, if he still talks to me that is. But talk alone…I have to show him that I really mean it…that I care. What makes the kid truly happy? Whatever it is we sure don't do it often, his happiness is played most of the time. We get him presents for his birthday but if that really makes him happy I doubt it. He's always happy when we take a trip to the beach but he's not up to it and it's also to cold this time of the year. Oh man, Face is always organizing such things, but I can't very well tell him to go and get himself a treat. He's always happy, genuily so, when Murdock gives him one of his crafts from art therapy. He was really pissed when Lynch found his apartment before he could clear it out. Had to leave most of his things there, including that pink ashtray with Mickey Mouse ears and a carrot nose, most ugly thing Murdock ever produced. But I can't very well mold something for him.'

He kept thinking and walking and hadn't even noticed how close he had come to the town. He felt around in his pocket and found some change. 'Not enough to buy a real present, but that looks pathetic anyway, as if I'm trying to buy back his trust. He has enough money to buy whatever he wants. When he goes to the orphanage he usually takes a sack of candy along, but I've never seen him eating some. But it's not the same getting something for oneself or as a present. Ahh, I know something that always made me happy when my father brought it…maybe it'll work. It's worth a try anyway, just something to use as a peace offer.'

Hannibal stepped into the shop and was soon on his way back.

Face could feel the pressure building in his skull but he was determined not to let his pain show. Hannibal had turned on him…he couldn't lose the others as well.

But they saw through his act. "Face, I think it's better you get back to your bed. BA can take you. I'll make you some chicken soup. Murdock, can you get him a new ice pack, this one's melting."

"I…I…I'm fine, you don't need to…"

"Sure you're fine, if that's your fine I don't want to see your bad."

"BA's right, you're not fine and you need your rest, let us help you Face, we're here for you, all of us. And Hannibal will come back with his tail between his legs as usual after such episodes." Murdock smiled at him to show how convinced he was, that was the plan at least.

"Not this time."

"Come on, BA take him to his room, I'll be at the kitchen if you need me."

Face had some rest and drunk some soup but it was tasteless to him. He felt alone while all the others were around and felt guilty for that, but he just couldn't help it. They belonged together, any one missing left a gaping hole and he was convinced that Hannibal would never forgive him for killing that guy, if he came back at all that is. Murdock was right, he usually came back apologizing but this time…this time was just different.

It took about thirty minutes until the front door opened. Hannibal was lucky not to run into any of the others as he went straight for Face's bedroom. Opening the door he found BA and Murdock sitting next to Face who had a fresh ice pack on his eye. Underneath he could see the dark bruise that was still forming.

"Guys, can you leave me alone with Face?"

"So you can slug him again?" Murdock stood in a protective stance in front of the bed.

"No, so I can make it up to him, please Murdock."

"You can make it up to him while we're around. I for one would like to hear how you plan to set this right."

"Come on fool, let's wait outside." BA shoved Murdock out of the door but not without growling a warning at Hannibal."

He stepped closer to the bed but Face didn't look at him. "Hey kid, I'm so sorry. I was a complete jerk and I understand if you hate me now. I…I brought you something…a treat, just a little peace offering." Hannibal stood there unsure if he should go through with his plan or would make a complete fool out of himself, after all Face was not a five year old. But now that he had said it he couldn't go back. He pulled the chocolate bar from his pocket and held it out in front of him.

Face's heart swelled at the gesture; it was something he would have dreamed of as a child. Hannibal looked contrite enough and his hand even shook as it held onto the candy.

As much as Face wanted to accept his gift and apology he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Not because he doubted the sincerity, but because he couldn't risk the same thing happening again. His heart had been stomped on too many times over the years and he didn't know how much more he could take.

'Hannibal would be better off without a no good liar and cheat,' Face thought. 'He said it himself that it pushed people away.' This time he figured it better if he did the pushing now rather than prolong it any longer. It would save them all unnecessary pain.

But Hannibal was still holding the chocolate out and Face finally took it. The minute it was in his hand he started to have doubts. Hannibal had stood by him through thick and thin and only lately had there been any tension between them. The problem was that he idolized the man and as a result probably held him up to a higher standard than most others. The reality was that Hannibal was human and as a result was bound to make mistakes… it wouldn't be right to not give the colonel a chance. 'Lord knows he has given me my share.'

Face was torn between following his head and following his heart. His head said to put up a wall to protect himself where his heart was waiting with a hammer to knock it down.

All the indecision was doing nothing to help the increasing pain in his head. There was an unexpected stabbing pain behind his eye and Face felt as if his head might explode. He threw the chocolate bar that was still in his hand clear across the room and brought his hand to his head.

The sensation was so intense that it consumed his entire being. He couldn't talk…he couldn't scream…he couldn't even breathe. But he did see Hannibal's shoulders slump dejectedly before turning and walking back out the door. He wanted to call after him, tell him it was all a misunderstanding but he couldn't make a sound. Murdock stepped back inside while BA waited outside. The last thing he saw before the door closed was his colonels retreating back.

'This can't be happening again, I have to call him back.'

"Face, I'm here buddy. I'm here for you, whatever he said or did. Please, look at me Face."

Face was still holding his hands in front of both eyes in an attempt to stop the pain. He was looking through his fingers. As the pain slowly lessened his vision on the injured eye began to get blurry. Finally his voice came back.

"Han'bal."

"He's gone Face, he won't hurt you again, just relax."

"No Han'bal…need Han'bal."

"Face, what happened? Your voice sounds slurred. Did he hit you again?"

"No…pain…hurts so, Han'bal"

Murdock got more angry at the colonel by the second. "What did he do to hurt you? Do you need me to get Maggie?"

"Not Hannibal."

"It wasn't Hannibal?"

"No, need him."

"I think you need Maggie, let me get her."

"No…need Hannibal."

"Yeah muchacho, right after Maggie took a look at you, okay?"

Face grabbed Murdock's arm to keep him from moving. "No, need Hannibal now."

"Okay okay, BA!"

"Ouww." Face had his hands at his head again. Murdock's yell for BA sent stabbing pain through his skull.

"Sorry muchacho, headache?"

"Hmm, bad."

"Okay, I'll be quiet." He stepped over to BA who had come inside. "He wants the colonel, now."

"Why?"

"Beats me, just get him."

Murdock stepped back to Face after BA left. "The big guy is going to get him and I'll get Maggie after that. You just hang though."

"Hmm"

Hannibal returned after a minute and Murdock reluctantly left the room. Hannibal stood in the middle not sure if he was welcome to come closer.

"Sorry..didn't mean."

"It's alright Face, I shouldn't even have brought it, after all you're not five years old."

"No…pain, my head hurt so bad all of a sudden. Didn't mean you."

"Really? Oh god you have pain in this eye?"

"Yeah, real bad…and headache."

"God, I'm so sorry kid."

"Don't…can you give me back my chocolate?"

Hannibal's eyes lit up. "You want it? You accept my apology? You give me another chance?" He retrieved the chocolate but before Face could answer or take it back another spasm of pain shot through his head and left him withering on the bed.

Face was turning a deep shade of red from holding his breath against the white hot agony. He had suffered through his share of migraines in the past to recognize the symptoms, but the shot Hannibal took to his eye seemed to make the pain settle there.

"Breathe, kid," Hannibal whispered, not wanting to make things worse on Face. "You have to breathe."

Hannibal, too, had witnessed the younger man go through many severe and often debilitation headaches over the years. Part of him hoped that this was all it was and not something worse that came at his own hand. The other part wondered how much worse it could get for him right now.

Face's features were twisted and contorted in pain. He felt something cold on his forehead and forced his eyes to open to see Hannibal holding the icepack to his head. He locked eyes with the colonel for a brief moment before they blurred over again and the light became too painful to withstand.

Hannibal heard Face moan and watched as his flushed complexion faded to a pale white as another wave hit him. It reminded him of the first time he had seen Face in such a state. It was shortly after they escaped from Fort Brag. Face had a hard time adjusting to being on the run. Not because he found it hard to hide from people. After all, his life up to this point had given him lots of training, and not only in Nam, but because someone else, namely his whole government, had turned on him. He had lost his belief in justice and was seeing black for his future. But worst of all was probably that he had found one true friend, a closer friend than BA and Hannibal, and now he was locked away and he couldn't get to him. He had tried and whined and argued but Hannibal had put his foot down for Face not to get close to the VA Murdock was in until things had died down. Deep down he knew Hannibal was right and was only protecting them, that didn't mean he couldn't go there anyway and if it was only to hide close and catch a glimpse at the figure in the room. Up to today Hannibal didn't know of most of those things but he did know that Face had it bad during the first months, probably even years, of their being on the run.

Face was weakened from the stay at the prison and not in the best of general conditions. It was winter and they were headed north since Hannibal thought that Lynch would think that Hannibal would lead his men west to blend in with the tanned folk there since they came straight from the jungle and the Vietnamese sun. Face's comment that a month in prison did nothing to his tan was put down with the comment 'Lynch wouldn't think that far, after all he's Lynch.'

While that was generally right, Lynch was also determined and soon had their picture all over the newspapers and TV. They headed north and when things became too hot had holed in an abandoned warehouse. The little money they had was spent on food and water that Hannibal had bought from one of the still running warehouses under the disguise of an shop owner. As a result they had enough cans to last them for two months, but only three different types.

Face had developed a cold and it wasn't getting better since they had no really thick clothes and couldn't heat the place. They all wore several layers of clothes but it was still cold. When he developed a fever Hannibal had wanted to go to a pharmacy but the military had come close and they anyway didn't have any money left. And then Face started to complain about a headache and the first migraine he had ever suffered through started; the first in a long line of successors. He was soon moaning and withering on the ground where he was wrapped up in his sleeping bag, just like now only that he was on a bed. Without any pain relief it took two days for the symptoms to lessen. Murdock later on always said it was because Face thought too much.

Right now the pain seemed to let up for the moment but just enough for Face to be aware of his surroundings. Maggie rushed into the room with Murdock and B.A. on her heels.

"What's going on?" she asked Hannibal.

"It's his head…he says that his eye hurts too."

Maggie approached Face slowly not wanting to startle him as his eyes were shut tight. "Face," she said softly. "I need to look into your eyes…do you think you can open them?"

"Try," Face rasped. But as soon as he slit them open the light felt like a dagger through his skull. "Ah," he gasped and shut them again.

Maggie turned back to the others who stood in a straight line looking helpless. "You're going to have to hold him."

A few moments later Face felt arms grabbing at him but the pain had increased again so much so that he hadn't heard Maggie explain what was going on. "No…no…please…no," Face struggled as images flashed before him of the VC and Sue.

Hannibal held Face's head in his hands while Murdock and B.A. were basically lying on top of the rest of the suffering man to keep him still. Maggie carefully lifted the lid of Face's swollen eye and her heart broke at the sob that escaped from Face's throat. She took a deep breath before shining a light onto it knowing that it would only cause her patient immense pain.

Face began to kick and buck but couldn't move due to the weight on top of him. "Oh God…stop…please stop."

Maggie quickly removed the light, but ordered, "Don't let go until his body has calmed."

It took a few moments, but gradually Face's limbs became still and his breathing slowed. "M'gonna…be…sick," he moaned.

Murdock and B.A. rolled him as Maggie held a bucket under his mouth. Hannibal rubbed his back as he retched up what little was in his stomach. Moments after rolling him back he let out a groan and his body went limp.

"Thank goodness," Maggie sighed. "He needs rest."

"What did you see, doc?" B.A. asked.

"The eyes itself seems okay despite looking like he was slugged by Mohammed Ali from the outside."

'I deserve that,' Hannibal thought.

Maggie continued on after sending Hannibal a pointed look. "It's most likely a stress induced migraine."

"Gee…wonder how he got that," Murdock said sarcastically also turning his eyes to his colonel.

Maggie pulled a blanket up to Face's shoulders. "Look…it's obvious that you all have some issues you need to work out."

"Issue…more like volumes," B.A. mumbled.

"Whatever it is can and must wait until Face is stronger…got it?" Three heads nodded in return, but that wasn't enough for Maggie. "I can't hear you."

"Yes, ma'am," they said in triplicate.

"Face needs you…all of you…so here is what is going to happen. You will all remain in this room…quietly and peacefully…until he wakes up at which point you will be there for him. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," they replied again, and with that she was out the door.


	42. Chapter 42

After Bad Rock 

Warning: This following story contains extreme,graphic, and repetitve physical, sexual and psychological torure. We love Face, but we were not nice to him at all in this one. Consider yourself warned...read at your own risk...and hopefully enjoyment!

Chapter 42

Face woke a full seven hours later. BA and Murdock had dozed in the chairs but Hannibal wasn't able to find any rest, not for as long as he hadn't got a chance to properly apologize to Face…which wasn't likely to happen today as it was getting late. Face started to toss and then moan. It took him long to really wake up. He opened his eyes and promptly wished he hadn't. Partly because of the pain the little light in the room caused and partly because of the three anxious faces looking down at him. A moment of panic fared in him 'they're gonna hurt me again, I did something to make them angry again.' He started to breathe harder and the logical thinking part of his brain told him to stop it or he was going to hurt himself. His lungs still burned if he took deep or uncontrolled breaths. 'They are not your enemy. They are the best thing that ever happened to you and will ever happen to you. You have no right to complain about minor issues and fears. Remember to smile.'

It was after he had calmed down that he started to hear their voices.

"Face, are you alright? Face, c'mon buddy talk to us."

"Yeah, Faceman, we usually can't get you to shut up, you being so quiet is scary."

"C'mon kid, say something."

"M'okay," was the weak answer.

"Does it hurt bad?"

"Hmmm."

He so wanted to be free with them, to believe they really were what they always said: a family. But he had made it a habit not to trust anybody. With the team that had changed to a good amount but now, after Sue, ha had lost a great deal of the trust he had build up over the years. All he wanted was to turn back time and not screw things up for BA to get shot. This whole nightmare would never have started if he had not screwed up. It was so much easier to trust the people around you than to always be on guard, but he just couldn't find that trust again. Ever since Sue he was jumpy when one of them came to close or accidentally brushed him or when they came up from his back and he was so tired of the whole game.

"Can I get you something kid?" Hannibal asked while placing a fresh washcloth on his forehead.

"Wa'er."

"Okay, here you go, sip it, you're doing good."

It all sounded like before but it just didn't feel the same.

'Just smile. Smile and don't let them notice how it all gets to you.'

After he had drunk some water he kept his eyes closed against the light but put on a big smile "Thanks Han'bal."

The three men watching Face's lips turn upward into a forced smile wanted nothing more than to tell him to knock it off and to stop pretending. But they had promised Maggie that they would care for Face and not upset him so they would just have to ignore it.

Face refused to give into the pain anymore and tried to focus on his breathing. It worked for a while but all too soon he found himself having to contract all of his muscles to remain still and he was clenching his jaw so tight that it was making his head ache worse.

Murdock turned to Hannibal and mouthed, "we have to do something."

But it was B.A. whose lips followed up with a silent, "Do somethin', sucker."

Hannibal nodded his head and took a slow, deep breath. They were right, he knew he had to do something…but was Face going to accept it? Was Face going to accept him?

"Face?"

Face's eyes remained screwed shut, but he answered by moaning.

"Kid, are you okay?" Dumb question…he knew that…but it was also a safe question.

Another moan, but Face was starting to breathe heavier from the strain.

"Face…let it out…and let us in," Hannibal pleaded.

Murdock leaned over and whispered to B.A., "I think the colonel just quoted Hey Jude by The Beatles."

"He can quote Beethoven for all I care if it works," B.A. whispered back.

"Beethoven? There are no words to quote..."

"Shut-up, fool."

Hannibal's words struck a chord with Face and he let a sob escape. To the others it looked like he finally gave in to the pain but it was actually a sob of frustration. All this suffering for nothing, he couldn't hide his pain from them, at least the physical pain. 'Let them in? Yeah, great idea, proved it works like a charm in the past, didn't it? Let it out? Not like I had another chance anymore.'

Face wanted to yell at Hannibal to stop it; stop pretending he cared just to turn on him the next minute, but he just couldn't do that. For one he couldn't risk to push the last people that were willing to stick around away and for two, he wasn't sure if Hannibal really didn't care. After all he had brought him chocolate, meaning he had thought about him while not being close to him. That in itself was something he couldn't say for a lot of people. Before he drifted off to sleep he looked at all his friends through slitted eyes and made a decision. Maybe he couldn't hide his physical pain from them right now and maybe he had to accept their help but he was going to make sure to pretend all was back to normal as soon as he could. Maybe he would be lucky and things really would be back to how they were before Sue, but he had his doubts.

"Was 'bout time he stopped pretending and slept. That fool's even more foolish than the fool."

"Wow BA, you'll win a prize for this sentence for sure."

"Shut up fool."

"Keep it down you two, he's finally sleeping and if you wake him you'll answer to me."

"If I recall correctly you still have to answer to us sucker."

"Not now, I'm sorry okay? Face needs rest."

Face had a good rest and it somehow felt good not to have to hide his pain anymore. He grew stronger within the next days and the bruise at his eye slowly faded. Maggie left them after another week, much to the dismay of Hannibal, but made them promise to call her every day to report on Face's healing. Before she left Face shared the chocolate among all of them and they sat together joking.

With a sadness that his outside demeanor didn't show, Face realized that although the physical bruises faded the ones on the inside didn't want to go. He was jumpy when someone approached him from behind or came to close into his personal space and therefore made sure to always know where everyone was. Murdock threw him an odd look from time to time and he thought his act had been caught but he never said anything. Face anyway tried harder to pretend everything was normal.

They soon moved on to yet another cabin in another forest for Face to get time to heal. How they thought he could heal in a hut in the forest with all its memories was beyond him but he didn't complain, just dutifully packed his few belongings and limped to the van. It had always been like that but the difference was that up until before Sue he always thought it would make a difference if he complained. If he complained about all their teasing and assuming and told them how much it hurt at times they would stop and treat him differently, now he wasn't so sure. He rather felt like they would laugh at him at best or even leave him. So he went on as always, kept quiet with a smile on his face and joked along.

With time things got a little better, at least he could get close to Murdock again without feeling he needed to be on guard all the time. For that he was grateful because the pilot meant so much to him and had the tendency to crawl into Face's bed whenever it got cold and they shared a room. Face too enjoyed the comfort of a warm body close to his and was eternally happy to be able to sleep like that without fear. For BA and Hannibal it was different though. BA had never been one for much physical contact so that was fine but Hannibal sometimes rested his arm around Face's shoulder and he had to work hard to stand still without trembling or tensing.

Eventually his healing time was over and they moved back to LA. Face had dosed off and Hannibal turned around in his seat, rested a hand on Face's knee and said "We're here kid."

Face almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden unexpected contact.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"No worries, just woke up with a start." As he retrieved his bag to move it into the apartment he would be sharing with Hannibal until he found his own, he noticed Murdock's odd look but again the pilot kept quiet. They said there good bye and the van drove off. Face couldn't help but shiver a little as he walked into the apartment behind Hannibal without any backup.

The End.


End file.
